


Next to Me

by SilverJuniper



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alcoholism, Attempted Suicide, Depression, M/M, Magic, Romance, Slow Burn, heart events
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-04-18 16:05:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 23,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14216778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverJuniper/pseuds/SilverJuniper
Summary: Shane managed to go most of a season without coming into contact with the new farmer in town.  He had enough going on in his life without trying to track down people who obviously wanted to be left alone.  Yet, due to meddling by the mayor and his aunt, Shane soon finds himself tangled up in the mystery of a man he should really leave alone.  If only he could avoid doing stupid things with his life.Lucus is on the run.  Searching for peace has become a full time job and it seems like everyone in this little backwater town wants to drop something else on him.  Except for one person.  An anti-social alcoholic who seems to be running just as hard as Lucus himself.  He can't afford attachments, but bonds form in the most unlikely of places.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is loosely based off of a play-through of my own. My poor character hit a certain point in the mines and I just couldn't seem to survive long enough to reach the ladder. It got me to thinking, 'shouldn't someone be concerned?' So I started writing for fun and then my simple slow burn romance developed a complicated plot. FML Anyways, here's my head-cannon that took off without me.

Friday nights saw many of the residents of Pelican town arriving at the saloon for some end of the week festivities. The young adults would play pool and arcade games in the back room, Willy and Clint would share a table while across the bar Leah and Eliott would talk creativity. Pam would often be quite drunk at this point, slurring and smiling. Gus and Emily kept busy drawing drinks and serving food with wide smiles.

Everyone was relaxed and happy. Most nights, anyways.

Tonight, Mayor Lewis wasn't quite so caught up in his drinking companion as he usually was. He glanced over his shoulder when the door opened, as he had every time the door had opened so far this evening. He turned back to his drink and startled when he found concerned brown eyes meeting his own.

"Alright. What, or who, are you waiting for?"

Lewis ducked his head a little under Marnie's stern look. He knew that determination. It was typically directed at the livestock she made her living by, but leveling it at him would have much the same effect. The Mayor started to open his mouth to answer when the door to the saloon opened again, and he distracted himself glancing back at who it was.

Marnie watched as the doctor, Harvey, came through the door, and all the tension dropped out of Lewis's shoulders to be replaced by anticipation. The doctor wearily moved up to his customary place at the bar and ordered a drink before realizing the Mayor's eyes were on him. The two made eye-contact, and Harvey made a gesture for Lewis to stay put when the older man made to stand.

Harvey scooped up his drink when it was presented and came over, nodding and extending a brief greeting to Marnie as he sat down before getting right into what was worrying both the Mayor, and himself. "He'll be fine. Sore and have a bit of a limp for the next three or four days, but Lucus will make it."

Marnie's brow furrowed. "Lucus? Whos- Oh! The new farmer."

Mayor Lewis nodded, his fingers fiddling with his glass. "Linus found him passed out in the mines. Poor guy looked like he would barely make it. Which is worrisome enough, but this is the second time this week! And I don't know how many times in total since he's gotten here."

"This makes number five," Harvey provided grimly.

Lewis frowned, shaking his head. "The young man is intelligent, I know. And looks strong enough to do alright in the mines. But for some reason, he's gotten out of his depth and just doesn't know when to quit! The boy is going to kill himself if he doesn't stop going down there."

"Well," Marnie started, ever the straightforward woman. "Why is he going down there? Is he after the stone? The ore? There are other ways to get both. But if he's going down there just looking for a fight then maybe..."

Both Lewis and Marnie looked at Harvey. The doctor stiffly drained his drink. The glass clunked back onto the table top and his hand raised to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose as his gaze became calculating. "The thought that he was specifically trying to harm himself did occur."

A heavy atmosphere fell over the three, all of them thinking the same thing. Something had to be done. Lewis finally sighed. "I'll give him a couple days to finish recovering. Then I'll go talk to him."

 

Shane woke up late Sunday morning in a foul mood. He was hungover from the night before, achy from having passed out on the floor, and he had squandered half of one of his precious days off. He cursed as he tripped over empty beer cans and grumbled as he staggered into the bathroom to relieve himself and scrub the bitter taste from his mouth.

He stared at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth. His hair had gotten a little long. Or, longer than he usually kept it. Dark circles under his eyes added a decade or two and he scowled. How did he sleep in and still end up looking and feeling like shit.

He spat, rinsed, and straightened to glare at himself. "You just are a piece of shit."

Since his reflection didn't deny, defend, or provide anything useful, he turned away to go find some coffee and pizza rolls. He tripped over the beer cans again.

Once he had successfully made his way out of his room and into the kitchen, his minor victory was overshadowed by the sound of Mayor Lewis talking with Marnie. He did his best to ignore their 'secret' relationship, but he still noticed it enough that it irritated him. Ordinarily, he would tune them out as he shoved a plate of pizza rolls into the microwave and watch it spin. He wasn't quite sure what pulled his attention this time.

"I wasn't trying to be offensive. I don't understand why he got so mad."

"Maybe he thought you were trying to pry. I mean, he hasn't been particularly eager to make friends in town."

Shane cocked his head as he watched the pizza rolls slowly turning in the microwave, trying to figure out who they were talking about.

"I'm just worried about the boy. His grandfather and I were really good friends. I guess I was hoping the grandson would be a lot like the man I used to know."

The microwave dinged and he pulled his food out as he worked out who they were talking about. The new farmer that had moved into the dump north of Marnie's ranch. Shane couldn't really put a face, or a name for that matter, to this epiphany. Despite the fact that he was pretty sure the young man had moved in the beginning of spring and it was almost summer. Honestly, Shane could fully respect wanting to be left alone. He set the plate on the table while he pulled down a mug to fill it with coffee from the carafe as Marnie continued in a consoling manner.

"There is a two generation gap. Maybe he doesn't want a parental figure looking over his shoulder."

Lewis sighed. "I suppose I could do something to apologize. Maybe... How about this?! I'll send him a chicken! It'll be an apology and maybe the added bit of responsibility will help keep him out of the mines for a bit."

Shane couldn't help the snort of amusement as he sat down. That was the problem right there wasn't it. This new guy just wants to be left alone and Lewis keeps dropping expectations on him. Get the hint already!

Marnie had, of course, agreed with enthusiasm that it was a wonderful idea while Shane had been silently disagreeing. And then abruptly dragged him into the conversation. "Shane?! Would you do me a favor and make a delivery for me?"

Shane's head jerked up, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Albeit one with a mouthful of pizza roll and coffee halfway to his mouth. Shane forced down the bite, blinking. "What?"

Marnie poked her head around the corner to give him a shining smile. "Don't worry, you'll have time to finish eating while I get everything together. I'll just need you to take it up the road to the new farmer. You know the place right? It shouldn't take too long, and you weren't planning anything for today anyway right?"

Shane felt he should be offended. If she weren't absolutly right. He sighed and nodded. "Sure."

"Thank you Shane!"

Which was how he found himself lugging a chick and a bag of feed through Cindersap forest to a guy who probably just wanted to be left alone. He decided his life sucked.


	2. Chapter 2

The farm, if it could be called that, was a wreck. Shane knew no one had lived here for a good long while, but the minefield of debris and weeds looked like it would take a full year to clean up. It took some doing to cross through what Cindersap was trying to reclaim and get into the space around the little farmhouse that had been cleared.

He glanced over the little plot of dirt that was turned. It looked like something had been dug up. He supposed the new farmer had managed to grow something over the season. Taking a deep breath, Shane settled the chick in her carrying cage down a couple steps away from the bottom stair of the porch. The bag of feed was dropped nearby and he caught his breath from the long walk hauling weight. He wasn't as young as he used to be. He certainly wasn't in good shape anymore.

When he thought he could speak without wheezing in the new guy's face, he climbed up onto the porch and rapped at the door. Then retreated back down to the safer ground with the chick. Even standing on the porch felt like an intrusion.

After a moment, the door opened and a young man stepped out. Shane decided he had never seen the new farmer. He would have remembered him. Most striking about him was the pure white hair. Shots of silver ran through it. Shane supposed he would get along really well with Pierre's purple haired daughter and her crew. All three of them had some funky style or color.

The next thing that grabbed Shanes attention was the angry purple bruise coloring the young man's eye. He caught a glimpse of bandaging around one arm, peeking from beneath the sleeve of his dirty t-shirt. And when the young man moved out his door to stand on the porch, there was a hint of a limp.  
No wonder the Mayor was worried.

The young man's bare feet halted at the top of the stairs in a wide stance. His hands were covered in light marks that showed clearly on the tanned flesh as he shoved his thumbs in his pockets. In the setting sun, Shane's eyes fixed on the young man's face, attractive despite the bruise and a long scar that bisected his left brow and cheekbone. Eyes that were almost maroon fixed on Shane's.

"No."

Shane blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not a charity case, so you can take all that back where it came from and thanks but no thanks."

Shane sighed, having figured this wasn't going to go well. "This isn't charity. This is an apology. Why the Mayor couldn't bring it himself I don't know 'cause I want to be here about as much as you apparently want company. So if you could just do us both a favor and show me to the chicken coop so I can get out of your hair..."

Shane didn't expect his little speech to work. But maybe there was enough desperation in his voice. The farmer sighed, shoving his fingers through his hair. The mild hostility on his face faded into something that was almost... vulnerable? "I don't know anything about chickens."

Shane let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding and some of the tension dropped out of his shoulders. "I'm no expert myself. But I can teach you enough to get by?"  
There was a long pause where they just stared at each other. Finally, the young man stepped off the porch, coming to stand in front of Shane. "I'm Lucus."

"Shane."

The farmer, Lucus, stooped to gather up the bag of feed under one arm and grabbed a hold on the cage with his other hand. He jerked his chin to indicate a direction and then tossed his white hair out of his face. "Coop is this way."

Lucus led the way, picking his way through the last few feet that hadn't yet received the clearing treatment. Shane raised a brow at how the fact that Lucus was barefoot didn't seem to bother him. Even when he kicked aside rocks and branches to get the door to the coop open.

"It needs some work. I wasn't actually planning on getting any animals." Lucus moved into the middle of the coop and looked around. Shane stopped in the doorway and grimaced. It wasn't over-grown like outside, but it had certainly fallen into disrepair. Nothing they couldn't fix though. He spotted some tools for raking the sawdust clean and shoved up the sleeves of his hoodie as he went for it.

After a hesitation, Lucus got to work too. He gently set the chick down out of the way and got to work clearing out the feeding stations. He even left for a minute and came back with hammer and nails to make a couple small repairs. Shane set the tools aside once the floor was clean and poured some feed into the station before letting the chick out. She peeped and scritched around her new home, checking everything out.

Shane jumped when he glanced at Lucus and found the man watching him. Like a hawk watching a chicken, he mused. He cleared his throat and turned his gaze back to the chick, more comfortable if he wasn't making eye-contact.

"She won't be hard to take care of. Feed her every day. Keep the coop clean. On nice days, they like to be outside. The better care you take of her, the better quality eggs she'll lay. Or you can incubate the eggs and hatch more chickens. Once it starts getting colder, you might want to make sure the coop doesn't have any holes or cracks, so it stays warm."

He noticed an old heater tucked into a corner and pointed it out. "If that still works you should set it up over the winter." He glanced over and was relieved to see Lucus was no longer staring. Instead, he was looking up at where little shafts of twilight were peeking through the roof.

"I can talk to Robin tomorrow."

There was another long silence where they both just watched the chick, then Shane glanced outside and pretended to just notice how late it had gotten. "I guess, if you need anything else, my Aunt can answer all your questions. We live on the ranch south of here. Um... See you around Lucus."

Shane hurried out of the coop and the uncomfortable scrutiny of the strange young man. He had to slow to navigate the debris across the back portion of the farm in the dark, but it didn't stop his mind from running a mile a minute.

"See you around?! The hell did I say that for?! He doesn't wanna see me or anyone else around. Buh. Fuck my life!"


	3. Chapter 3

Lucus watched the strange man go. Then he glanced down to where the chick was pecking experimentally at the frayed hem of his jeans. Sighing, he slowly squatted down so he wouldn't startle the baby bird.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" The chick looked up at him. "But I guess, that's the point isn't it. Keep me busy watching you and planting parsnips so I don't get into any more trouble down in the mines."

The chick lost interest in the conversation and fluffed up her feathers as she skittered away. Lucus straightened out of his crouch with the practiced ease of a predator. It wasn't his fault, really. He was practiced in fighting off opponents more his size. Swarms of insects and bats gave him trouble. But he'd get the hang of it. He wasn't done exploring the mines yet.

Lucus stepped out of the chicken coop and reordered his priority list on his way back to the house. The profits from the parsnips would have to go towards fixing up the coop rather than the new sword he had been eyeing at the adventurers guild.

He supposed all the stone he collected from the mines would come in handy after all.

And if he could get the new summer crops in the ground on the first day of summer, then it would only take half the morning to water everything and take care of the chick. Then he would have the rest of the day to do what he wanted.

He stopped before climbing the porch steps and looked out across his property. Through the overgrown saplings springing up, he could just make out Shane tripping past the last bit of debris to get into the forest. He supposed he could clear a path out to the forest. It would help him out too. And if the strange man decided to come back to visit the chick...

Lucus shook his head and climbed onto his porch. Was he really so starved for companionship that he would take a rude chicken delivery man?

Yes.

Not that there weren't a couple attractive people around town that were much more friendly. But there was something about this Shane that made him feel more at home than he had all season. Which was stupid. Home was wherever he decided to put down roots, not a person who would likely never feel strongly for him and reject him as soon as he showed his true colors.

Lucus fingercombed his white hair at that thought. His appearance was strongly influenced by his mother's side of the family. But he had always related more to his father's side. It was his father's stories of growing up in a small town and living off the land that had first drawn his attention. And then, when he had grown a little older, the tales of strange creatures that lived in the dark, ancient civilizations built underground, and witches and wizards had so enamored him he hadn't had to think about his grandfather's will for long at all.

His mother had been furious when he had dropped the beginnings of a career to move out to the middle of nowhere with only five hundred gold, big dreams and a goal.  
He really didn't care what she thought. There was bad blood there and he fully intended to cut all ties. Surely she wouldn't bother with him all the way out here. Every single letter she had sent him over the spring had been tossed, unopened, into the fireplace. She knew he was passive aggressive. Eventually, she would stop wasting the postage.  
Lucus crawled into bed, hoping tomorrow would be another step closer to achieving his goals.

The next morning marked the first day of summer. Lucus got up early and went to check on his new little bird friend. The chick maintained a certain amount of distance until he poured feed into the trough. Then he was the little bird's best friend. He pet her with two gentle fingers before checking how much water she still had and getting on about his day.

His first stop was Pierre's for seeds. He didn't feel the need to walk twice the distance to Joja Mart even if they did proclaim cheaper prices. Pierre was upbeat and friendly, not letting Lucus's general quiet and reserved nature get him down.

"Ready for the summer planting huh? Well, I've got a good selection of quality seeds for you." Lucus only nodded as he placed his seeds on the counter and Pierre kept talking. "Nice variety of crops you've got here. It's good to plant a lot of different things. Don't wanna put all your eggs in one basket. Or, produce, I suppose. But it looks like you already know that. You've caught on pretty quick for a city boy."

"Huh? Oh. Right. I'm a fast learner." Lucus grimaced at himself for forgetting his fabricated story already. He used to work at a Joja office in Zuzu city. He used to work at a Joja office in Zuzu city. He used to work at a Joja office in Zuzu city.

Pierre didn't seem to notice the hesitation, just glanced past the counter towards the floor and put forward a suggestion. "I don't keep boots or shoes in stock, but I could order you some."

Lucus glanced down at his bare feet, covered in a light dust from his walk from the farm. He shook his head as he gathered up his seeds and turned for the door. "Thanks anyways."

Next, he went north of town to the run down community center. The floorboards creaked as he padded in, his bare feet making little noise on their own. The Junimos hid in the edges of his vision, disappearing whenever he tried to look directly at them. He didn't mind if they were shy.

He squatted down and set out the things he had foraged over the last couple days of spring. The little bouquet of daffodils and dandelions next to the leeks and horseradish didn't look like much, but the Wizard had told him the Junimos weren't really picky.

Leaving the little pile in the middle of the floor, he stood and turned for the door. He cast a glance over his shoulder before stepping out of the center and smirked when he found his gift gone. "Just remember I need favors too."

Next he continued north to visit Robin. The carpenter looked surprised to see him, but easily got down to business when he told her he wanted to fix up his chicken coop. They hammered out a couple details and sealed the deal with a handshake. Lucus ignored the not so subtle questioning about whether or not he had met her son Sebastian yet.  
They had passed in the street once, sharing a brief greeting and a comment about the rain that was getting them both wet. Lucus was pretty sure Sebastian had eyes for Pierre's daughter anyway.

Then Lucus was off home, using the mountain pass that circled around behind his farm. A quick scramble over the top of the tunnel to get out of town and then he was back on his own property, right behind the ruined building that he still wasn't sure if he wanted to fix up or knock down.

The rest of the day was spent tilling and planting and watering. He was up late and finished the night sweaty, tired, and a little sore, but he got all the seeds in the ground and watered. He quickly washed up and fell into bed with a sense of accomplishment.

It was a different sense from usual. Different muscles worked. Different ache. Different sort of victory. He hadn't spent the better part of his life training to become a farmer after all. But he liked this lifestyle so much better.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a couple weeks later that Shane did see Lucus again. He had seen the strange young man in passing from afar here or there. Once or twice going into the abandoned community center while Shane was on his way to work, and once early one morning going deeper into Cindersap Forest. Shane had assumed he was going to fish at the pier. He couldn't really see a reason for going into the community center but it wasn't his job to babysit the new farmer.

This time though, their paths actually crossed.

Shane had just finished a particularly irritating day at Joja Mart and wasn't thinking about anything other than disappearing into a pint of beer. He wasn't watching anything other than the two feet in front of him either, which is part of why he almost crashed into Lucus. The white haired farmer made a sound of surprise as he made an agile maneuver to stay out of Shane's way.

Shane blinked in surprise at the narrow miss, licking his lips to force an apology past them. "Oh. Um. Sorry."

Lucus cocked his head, brow furrowing. Shane expected a biting 'look where you're going'. He never would have expected concern. "Bad day at work?"

Shane nodded. "Yeah." He looked Lucus up and down. The farmer was holding a backpack in one hand, was actually wearing boots, and had a sword strapped to his hip. The limp seemed to be gone, and the bruise had faded. But he had aquired a brand new set of scars if he didn't go to Harvey to get the three gashes over one shoulder and down his chest treated. Shane swallowed down the bile at the shirt soaked with blood and hanging in tatters. It looked like something with claws had attacked the farmer. "What the hell happened to you?!"

Lucus glanced down at himself, then back up at Shane. "Shadowbrute." The non-chalance with which he said it just furthered Shanes irritation into almost anger. Though he wasn't entirely sure why.

"In the mines right? Why do you go down there if you're just going to get your ass handed to you?!"

The farmer just shrugged with the shoulder that wasn't torn open. "Stone for building, ore for upgrading my tools, and the occasional piece of junk that Gunther will take off my hands." He hefted the bag he had been carrying and dug into it, extracting a rusted looking helmet. "See? Dwarven helm. Gunther will probably try to tell me a bunch of other useless info about it but..." He jammed it back into the pack and lifted his strange maroon gaze back up to Shane.

There was something challenging in that gaze. Like he was daring Shane to protest that stone, ore, and junk was not worth his life. Considering Shane's life consisted of working, sleeping, and drinking, he didn't feel he had any right to protest. Shane sighed, shaking his head. "At least let Harvey stitch it. I think I can see muscle." And with that piece of advice, Shane turned for the saloon again, hoping to drown this bloody memory in a cold one.

"Hey Shane!"

Shane stopped, one foot on the bridge that would carry him into town and the saloon. "What?"

"You and your aunt want some peppers?"

"What?" was Shane's intelligent answer. Then his eyes narrowed, trying to figure out the angle. "Why?"

Lucus smirked. "It's what people in a small town do, right? I mean, Caroline sends me vegetables despite the fact that I live on a farm. People keep sending me stuff they've cooked and recipes and shit." There was a slight hesitation, then Lucus plowed ahead. "Honestly, I'm up to my ears in peppers. I didn't expect them to just keep producing peppers. I've sold off enough to make a decent profit and I've still got a couple bushels left. I figure, you like hot stuff, right?"

"I do," Shane agreed carefully.

And that was apparently all the permission Lucus seemed to need. He brightened. "Great! I'll bring 'em over when I get a little time. See you around Shane." And with that he turned and was off in the direction of the museum and Clint's forge.

Shane shook his head and continued across the bridge. For a moment there, he thought Lucus's eyes had gone full on red for a second. But that was impossible. He told himself it was the horror scene Lucus's chest had been turned into and the talk of shadowbrutes. All of the last ten minutes would need to be thoroughly drowned in alcohol.

Shane spent his night drinking, as he usually did. Then he staggered home, dreading the morning when he would have to force himself out of bed to do it all over again. He made an effort to be quiet coming in the house, knowing Marnie and Jas should be asleep by now. Padding lightly across the kitchen, he was almost safely ensconced in his room when he noticed the bud vase sitting on the breakfast table with a summer spangle in it.

That flower didn't grow wild, he knew. He shook his head, figuring Lewis had given it to Marnie.

The next morning, he dragged himself to the table to force down some breakfast and the flower caught his eye again. Jas caught him staring and grinned. "You like my flower?"

Shane raised a brow, halting in his chewing at this new information. He swallowed as his foggy brain refused to make sense of it. "It's pretty. Who gave it to you?"

"Lucus. He said it was for my birthday."

Lucus. Because why not? Shane glanced at the calandar hanging on the door where Marnie made notes. Mainly about the animals, but there were a couple holidays and birthdays penned in red to distinguish them from the rest of the notes. And Shane had still almost missed his goddaughter's birthday.

But the new guy in town remembered.

Today was already... No. Tomorrow could be a shit day. Today was Jas's birthday and Shane would do his damndest to make it a good one.


	5. Chapter 5

Lucus went striding through town with purpose. The cobblestones paving the square were warm on his bare feet but he barely noticed. He had been expecting more progress than this and instead he was no closer to his goal. He blamed everything magic in this whole damn town. 

Paved road dissolved into soft sand as he walked out onto the beach and into the excitement of the summer Luau. The Mayor had asked him to attend, but he didn't feel like it. Still, it was an opportunity to track down the wizard. So he dumped a minor contribution into the cook pot and then tracked down the hint of magic he could feel in the air.

M. Rasmodius was standing at the end of the docks, looking out into the water and ignoring the festival behind him. He was wearing his heavy black cloak despite the blistering sun and summer heat. Lucus wasn't going to say anything about it though. He went barefoot everywhere and the wizard was partial to his cloak in all weather. Everybody had their quirks. Lucus opened his mouth to start spewing his complaints and didn't get a single syllable out before Rasmodius spoke up. 

"The Merfolk are curious about your festivities." 

Lucus pulled even with Rasmodius and looked down into the waves. He didn't see any Merfolk. "You promised I would find answers here." 

Rasmodius nodded, his large hat shading his face from the sun. "Haven't you?" 

"You speak in riddles. The Junimos have fixed a couple minecarts and a bridge. The Dwarves seem to be extinct and all the Shadowpeople would rather kill me than talk with me. I've found nothing and no one who seem able to fix my problem! So unless these Merfolk can help me, it seems I'm only wasting my time!" 

Rasmodius turned a chiding look on Lucus. "You are investing time. I've spent a hundred years pursuing the arcane arts, and I'll spend a hundred more before I've even scratched the surface. You can't rush these things." 

"But I don't have time! Sooner or later, someone is going to figure me out!" 

"They certainly will if you can't maintain control of your emotions." Lucus startled and quickly ducked his head, reigning in his frustration and taking a couple deep breaths. When he thought he had it, he lifted his gaze to the Wizard, Rasmodius met his eyes and nodded. 

"Better. Now, do as I taught you and commune. You have a deeper connection to this land than you know. But you continue to reach for your homeland. If you continue to cling to the heritage you wish to cut out, then you will never be able to sever it." 

Lucus let his eyes close and relaxed into the moment, reaching for the threads that tied him to his father's land. It was there, just under his awareness, like a tingle of electricity. He knew that was the Wizard. The scent of fresh cut fruit and growing things was the Junimos. A warmth beneath his feet was the Shadowpeople, and the slight buzzing vibrations were the Dwarves and their machines. A taste of salt alerted him to the Merfolk. But there was something else. Something he couldn't quite identify. He opened his eyes and looked at the Wizard. 

Rasmodius only smiled. "Keep searching. When you can grab hold of it, then you'll be a step closer to what you seek." 

Lucus sighed and dropped down to sit on the end of the dock, letting his feet swing over the water. This was going to take a while. A flicker of fins caught his attention and he blinked at the large tail disappearing among the rocks. He glanced up at Rasmodius and got a nod of confirmation. "She felt you searching." 

"Will my answer feel me searching too?" 

Whatever Rasmodius might have answered was interrupted by the crusty old fisherman bringing over a couple bowls of stew. "Here you boys are. You're missin' all the fun." 

Rasmodius smiled as he accepted the offered food. "Thank you Willy." 

Lucus took the other bowl with his own word of thanks and took a bite. It wasn't bad. Lucus tuned out as the fisherman and the Wizard started talking. His own thoughts were loud enough. No matter what Rasmodius said, he was already feeling the constraints of time. Investing it was all well and good, but if the people of Pelican town found out what he really was... Well, he wasn't sure if public executions were a thing, and they didn't have a jail or any type of law enforcement, but they'd run him out of town. 

Honestly, it was a miracle no one had recognized him already. He hadn't realized Pelican town was so cut off from the rest of the world. Or perhaps it was just that they turned a blind eye to the magics in the world. After all, they didn't cast out the Wizard. 

They also didn't really associate with him. Rasmodius lived a lonely life in his tower. 

Besides, he was pretty sure the townsfolk would see him as much worse than the Wizard. Sighing, he glanced over his shoulder to the revelry going on behind him. They all looked so happy, dancing and eating and talking. But people were capable of terrible things when they were scared and angry. He caught sight of Shane, standing mostly by himself. Shane was honest to the point of being rude. Lucus wondered, if he told Shane his secret, would Shane be a good representation of the rest of the townsfolk? Would he give Lucus a chance to run? Would he even care? 

Lucus shook his head as he faced the sea again and searched for the thread of magic he was missing.


	6. Chapter 6

Jas's birthday went alright. The week after that had gone from bad to worse. The one highlight of the week was the big basket of peppers that had appeared in the kitchen. Marnie told him happily that Lucus had brought them, and that wasn't it nice how the new farmer was finally trying to make friends.

Shane didn't bother to inform her that he already knew who had brought them. He also bit his tongue on the icy retort that the farmer wasn't trying to make friends, he was simply being pragmatic about who could get some use out of the things he didn't want. Marnie didn't deserve his bad mood, despite his desire to make everyone he came into contact with as miserable as he was.

Even the summer Luau wasn't enough to lift his mood. Everyone was overly happy and putting on a show so the Mayor could feel important and show off for the city bigwig. It made Shane sick. And angry. So he took up residence at the food table next to a really good chutny and put out 'don't talk to me' vibes.

He noticed when Lucus showed up, a little surprised that the anti-social farmer had even bothered to show. Then he was smirking a little when the man dumped some mushrooms into the pot Marnie was working over and hurried away. The farmer kept his head down, though it wasn't like people wouldn't know exactly who he was with his white hair. The smirk faded and Shane cocked his head as he watched Lucus move out onto the docks and halt next to the equally anti-social Wizard.

Shane watched them staring out over the ocean for a long moment, then reminded himself he didn't care and forgot about them.

The soup was a success, Lewis happily moved around from one knot of townsfolk to the next, Marnie glowed as she watched Lewis, and everyone heartily congratulated everyone else on a successful festival. It was nauseating. And there wasn't nearly enough alcohol.

The evening fell and everyone went home.

Life resumed.

Shane tried to find a reason for getting out of bed in the morning.

And after the festivities the day before, Shane didn't much feel like being around any more people for a bit. It was bad enough when people in the Joja Mart asked him questions while he was stocking or cleaning. The thought of the Stardrop, even his isolated little corner, seemed so stifling.

So, he bought a couple six-packs and hauled them into Cindersap Forest, taking a seat at the end of the pier with a lantern and watching the sun fall behind the trees. The sky darkened and stars began to come out. It wasn't quiet. There were frogs and fish in the lake and the birds and cicadas in the trees kept up their white noise.

Still, he felt alone. That was what he wanted.

Shane was just getting into the second six pack when a new noise caught his attention. He held perfectly still, looking out across the lake to the waters edge where he could just make out something moving. He was just trying to figure out if a lantern or a beer can made a better weapon when a soft voice carried over the water.

"It's just me."

Shane relaxed, recognizing Lucus's voice. And his hair, once he got a little closer to the lantern light. There was a strange sense of relief when Lucus turned down the pier rather than walking past to his farm. The farmer settled down on the end of the pier next to Shane with a sigh. Shane noticed he was barefoot again.

"Out late tonight huh?"

Lucus nodded. "Talking with the Wizard. I was hoping he could help me out, but..."

Shane squirmed a little at the tone of dejection that covered Lucus's voice. He wasn't good at helping people with problems. He wasn't even good at solving his own problems. His usual solution was... "Here, have a cold one." Lucus quietly accepted and held it loosely in one hand as he leaned his elbows on his knees to look down into the water. Shane squirmed again. "Buh. Life."

Lucus huffed a laugh and nodded. "Yeah."

Shane took in a breath, reconsidered, then spoke up anyways. He could blame the six-pack in his system later. "You ever feel like... no matter what you do you're gonna fail? Like you're stuck in some miserable abyss and you're so deep you can't even see the light of day? I just feel like, no matter how hard I try... I'm not strong enough to climb out of that hole."

Lucus didn't say a word. Shane could feel his stomach tying itself into knots, trying to escape the embarrassment of the junk that had just come out of his mouth. He was pretty sure Lucus didn't need Shane's problems on top of his own.

"You almost wish someone would toss you a rope, right?" Shane blinked when Lucus finally broke the silence, listening with bated breath. Lucus popped the top of the beer as he finished his thought. "But then again, once you get that rope, it's hard to tell if you'd want to use it to climb or just hang yourself with it." He lifted the can to his mouth and drained it in three long swallows.

Shane felt the tension ease out of his stomach and move up into his chest. That comment had been really close to home. And it was more personal than he wanted to get on only seven beers. He changed the subject. "Heh... fast drinker huh? Man after my own heart."

Lucus turned a wane smile on Shane and crunched the can in his hand. Shane backpedaled some more, realizing that what he had just said could be taken a couple different ways. "Just don't make it a habit... You've got a future ahead of you still. Welp, my liver's beggin me to quit. Better call it a night. See you around Lucus." He got up and hurried away, leaving the lantern and his last four beers at the end of the pier in his haste to get away.

He hesitated before running full tilt for home. He had caught the distinctive crack-hiss of a can opening. Lucus was leaned over his knees again, staring down into the water. His voice barely carried, soft as he talked to himself. "A future huh?" And he tipped the alcohol back.

Shane clenched his teeth and turned for home, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. Someone else was going to have to toss Lucus a rope. Shane was looking for his own.


	7. Chapter 7

Lucus wished he had just kept his mouth shut. Or just ignored the man altogether and gone home. Shane had been perfectly fine before he barged into the man's alone time. And then he had been sharing what was probably painful and hard to talk about and Lucus opened his mouth and took it the wrong direction.

Of course Shane ran for it. Lucus probably would have too.

Even if he did feel a little better that he wasn't the only one drowning in a depressive sea of self-hatred and pity.

He sighed as he gently settled a couple eggs and a purple mushroom on the floor of the community center. Speaking softly so as not to scare the Junimos, he offered a complaint instead of his usual reminder. "It's cool that you can make Marnie or the Wizard like me more, but is there any way you could make Shane not hate me?"

The Junimos just chirped, which was a new thing that was happening more and more frequently.

Lucus grumped and got up to leave. He did still have other things to do today. Like picking up his new and improved pickaxe. Hopefully it was strong enough to break through that big rock blocking off the side passage in the mine.

Clint happily turned over the upgraded tool with a cheerful smile. Lucus figured the extra gold bar he had given the blacksmith probably had something to do with it, but that was alright. Time wasn't the only thing he was investing as Rasmodius put it.

Back outside the forge he climbed into the minecart and set it rolling to the mines. The Junimos hadn't fixed his problem with these things, but they were useful for getting around. Once in the mines, he hopped out of the cart and swung his pickaxe in a flourish more common in swordplay than mineworking. Old habits died hard.

The rock gave way under the sharper, stronger pickaxe and Lucus was soon through. To find not exactly what he'd expected. There was a large room back behind the boulder, and an occupant. Lucus quietly crept forward, staring in curiosity. "You're a Dwarf."

The short creature wearing a tunic and a nicer version of the helmet he had found some time ago said something back in a deep voice. Lucus couldn't understand a word of it. But it abruptly reminded him of the Dwarven scrolls he had found I, II, and IV of. At the time, he hadn't spared any more thought to missing number III other than as a missing hole in Gunther's collection. Now it seemed a lot more important.

"Don't go anywhere. I'll be back." Lucus wasn't sure if the Dwarf could understand him any more than he could understand it, but he hoped he was finally taking a step towards his goal again. With only a momentary hesitation to decide whether or not he should go back home to get his boots, Lucus jumped onto the elevator to take him down into the mines.

The scroll turned out to be a little more difficult to find than it probably should have been. He had missed it during one of his earlier expeditions and a family of slimes had moved in on top of it. And during the excitement of clearing them out he attracted the interest of a trio of skeletons.

At least the skeletons were easily dispatched and he obtained no terrible wounds for the trouble. And then he was back to the elevator to ride to the top, preferably before Gunther closed up the museum for the night.

He made it with only seconds to spare and ignored Gunther's amusement as he panted handing over the last scroll.

"I can't tell you how pleased I am at all your contributions. You've been a fantastic help Lucus. I want you to have this. It's not much in the way of payment, but I think you can get more use out of it than I can."

Lucus looked at the rusty key Gunther handed over and felt a little conflicted. He had finally made contact with a Dwarf, but if his guess was correct, this rusty key opened up the sewers which was where he had been feeling the strongest warmth of the Shadowpeople.

He quietly thanked Gunther as he turned to leave. Pausing on the doorstep, he barely registered Gunther turning the lock behind him and turning out the lights. Lucus finally sighed and pocketed the key. He was quite sure he was going to end up spending longer than he'd like chasing either lead, if Rasmodius was any indication. Worrying about which would waste more time was basically irrelevent.

He decided on the Dwarf and went to climb into the minecart again. A slamming door caught his attention before he was away and he squinted through the trees to the doors of the Joja Mart. Shane had just gotten off work. Lucus watched as Shane peeked around the corner of the Mart, then hurried for town as he pulled his blue hoodie closer around himself to guard against the stiffening autumn wind.

A little pain squeezed in Lucus's chest. He was fairly certain that move hadn't just been about wanting to avoid an accidental crash. Which meant Shane was looking to avoid someone. Probably him. He sighed and hit the brake release on the minecart.

It was fine. Shane could avoid him. He had other things to think about anyways. Like Dwarves and sewer keys and finally getting around to ordering that rabbit.  
Which would possibly be delivered by Shane. Damn it.

Lucus shook his head. It wasn't a sure thing. Marnie had delivered the duck after all. And she would probably deliver everything else he chose to buy from her. It was really a non-issue.


	8. Chapter 8

"Shane?" Marnie's voice through the door made Shane roll his eyes. But he dragged himself away from his video games to go see what she wanted. She beamed at him when he opened the door. "Would you make a delivery for me please?"

Shane nodded. "Yeah."

"Wonderful! Lucus ordered a rabbit and I would take it to him but a couple of the cows are almost ready to calf so I don't want to leave them for too long." She had turned away as she spoke, completely missing the way Shane froze up.

"Um... Actually I just remembered this really important thing I've gotta go do-"

Marnie cut him off with a laugh. "Very funny Shane. Go on and make the delivery then hurry back. I'm making your favorite pepper poppers with the last of the peppers Lucus brought us tonight."

Shane hurriedly took the rabbit cage that was plopped into his hands and held still while Marnie loaded a squirming bunny in. The uncomfortable feeling was back worse than ever. When Shane had left Lucus on the pier there had been a seed of guilt planted. Like Lucus had asked for help and Shane had run in the other direction.

Which is basically exactly what happened. And it had been plaguing Shane ever since that night. The mounting fear that, if something were to...happen...to Lucus, that it would rest squarely on Shane's shoulders. The rest of Pelican Town might not know, but Shane would. 

Despite this fear, or maybe because of it, Shane had been avoiding Lucus. Not at all hard to do, but mentally exhausting. And now Aunt Marnie wanted him to march up to the man's front door and look him in the face.

Shane was about to beg off again until he registered what Marnie was saying.

"Thank you Shane. You're such a big help and I really appreciate it. I know things have been hard this past year, but you still work hard to provide for Jas and help me out when I need it. I'm proud of you."

Shane struggled to swallow past the lump in his throat. Well shit. Now he really couldn't refuse. He sighed and ducked his head. "I'm not really doing that much."

Marnie just smiled. "It's enough for now."

Shane nodded and hurried out of the house, off to deliver a rabbit to a man he really didn't want to see. The trip through Cindersap Forest didn't take as long as he wanted it to, and the delay he expected to find, picking his way through the over-grown farmland, was not to be found. There was, in fact, a nicely cleared walk-way between the back gate and the larger cleared area around the farm house. Shane was no expert trail-blazer, but it looked like Lucus had been carefully maintaining that path for some time now.

But was it just for an easy path out to the forest? Or an invitation?

Whatever it was, Shane walked easily along, drawing ever closer to a meeting he didn't want to have. His guts were twisting in discomfort and dread. His heart was pounding in his head and drowning out all other sounds.

That must have been the reason he didn't hear the arguement until he was right on top of it.

"Get out!"

Shane froze in his tracks and blinked in surprise, his grip tightening around the rabbit cage. He had never heard such rage coming from Lucus. He hadn't even heard the man raise his voice.

In all of the three actual conversations he'd had with the man. But still...

The door slammed open and a woman stepped out, looking terribly out of place standing on a farm house porch dressed for an upscale business office. She didn't look a day over thirty, but her hair was a brilliant white, shot with silver, coiled and pinned in an intricate hairstyle. The hair color made Shane think she was related to Lucus, despite that being the only similarity. Her features were more severe, her eyes were an odd color that were halfway between blue and purple, and she emitted an aura that was purely terrifying. Her skin tone was a darker shade than Lucus' too, which contrasted starkly with the white hair.

The womans gaze flitted over Shane without even seeing him as she turned to face Lucus charging out his door after her.

"I'm never coming back! I'd rather die than come crawling back to you!" The outraged momentum Lucus had started with stomping barefoot out onto his porch came to a screeching halt when he laid eyes on Shane. The dark fire in his eyes didn't wane, but it changed. Went from reckless charging to a guarded concern.

The woman noticed Lucus's diverted attention and glanced over her shoulder, sending a dismissive glance over Shane and raising a brow at the rabbit in his arms. She turned back to Lucus with a cold tone. "Have your little temper tantrum. But someday, when everything you've built up here is crumbling down around you, you'll come back. You can't deny who you are, and they won't accept you once your guard slips. No one ever does."

She turned towards the path out to the bus stop and shot Shane an imperious look as she passed him, hissing under her breath. "Save us all some time and break him sooner rather than later." Shane watched her go, mildly impressed that she managed to strut in her heels despite the uneven ground. A presence next to him abruptly drew his attention and his gaze snapped over to Lucus, standing rather close with his thumbs in the pockets of his ripped jeans.

The farmer's maroon gaze fixed on Shane, steady and with only a trace of the rage he had been displaying just a moment ago. Shane swallowed, not quite sure where to even start. "I'm confused."

A half smile pulled Lucus's mouth up for a moment before irritation pressed his lips into a thin line again. His gaze slowly peeled off of Shane to watch the woman disappear down the road. "Just a little get-together with my mother. That was actually fairly tame."

Shane blinked and looked Lucus over again. "Your mother?! Now I'm even more confused. How old are you?"

Lucus looked back at Shane and held his hands out for the rabbit cage. "Older than I look actually." Shane let him take the cage, noting the vague answer that clarified nothing. Lucus lifted the cage to look at the rabbit for a moment, then slowly dropped it down so he could look at Shane over it. Shane felt that guilty feeling again and was about to say something, if only to make himself feel better, when Lucus spoke up. "Listen, about the other night. Out on the pier..."

Shane shook his head. "I was an ass. I'm really sorry for running out on you."

Lucus looked startled for a moment. "Oh. I mean, no, I was gonna say sorry for dropping some heavy shit on you like that. I mean, you were talking about struggles and I took it in a morbid direction and made you uncomfortable so..."

Shane slowly relaxed. It was clear they had both been stressing about the same thing. "I... I was uncomfortable, but not really about what you said. It was more, I didn't mean to say all that in the first place and then when you said what you did... You shouldn't rely on me. I'll only let you down."

Lucus turned towards the chicken coop and jerked his chin, inviting Shane to follow. "I could say the same thing to you." Shane followed Lucus, treading along the path that was getting worn down after a couple seasons of Lucus making the trek out to take care of his chicken each morning.

Shane quietly stayed on the farmer's heels until they were inside the coop and Lucus was letting the rabbit out. Lucus had quite the collection of critters in here actually. He must have ordered a duck at some point because there was one quacking as it played in the water bowl. A jet black chicken with red eyes was a little startling, though less so than the...lizard?

"Quite the collection you've got here."

Lucus straightened from petting the bunny and shot Shane a contemplative look. "I like them though. They all manage to get along, despite being so different."

Shane met Lucus's gaze. "What did your mother mean? When she said no one would accept you?"

Lucus turned away and watched the rabbit sniffing and hopping for a long moment. Shane could almost see the walls going up, closing Lucus off from everyone. When he finally spoke, it was quiet and deliberate, each word chosen carefully. "People aren't like all the animals here. They see different as bad, or scary. And that's all they ever see. I came here because I was tired of hiding. I wanted a way to cut out my different and be just like everyone else. But I can't get rid of it. Not on my own, or by finding ancient artifacts, not even by promising the Wizard anything and everything."

Shane swallowed, feeling anticipation and overwhelming curiosity settling in his gut. "Lucus, what's so different about you?"

Lucus slowly pulled his gaze away from the rabbit and met Shane's questioning eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm not ready to tell anyone just yet but, maybe soon? Can you wait on me?"

Shane felt a little disappointed, but there wasn't any hesitation when he nodded. "Yeah. I can wait."

Lucus smiled. An honest, unguarded smile. It made Shane feel warm under the collar and his stomach flipped. It seemed a little too extreme a reaction for a simple smile, but Shane wasn't really going to fight it. Or think too hard on it.

Lucus gave a quiet, "Thanks Shane," as he checked over the feed troughs and water bowls before turning for the door. Shane followed Lucus back towards the house and was about to peel off and head home when Lucus seemed to remember something, turning back to Shane. "Hold on for a sec. I'll be right back."

He hurried into the house and reappeared a moment later with a box. It was cardboard and had a cellophane top so Shane could see inside as Lucus hopped off the porch and presented the box to him. Inside was a round cake, frosted in pink with little red heart candies sprinkled across the top.

"Here. You can take it to Jas or your Aunt or toss it in the cow pen for all I care. I don't want anything my mother gives me."

Shane blinked at the passive agressive move, but took the cake. "Thanks I guess."

Lucus nodded. "See you around Shane."

"See you around Lucus."

They parted ways, each going back home. Shane handed his Aunt the cake and let her think what she liked about the reasoning behind the gift. For his part, he ate his pepper poppers in silence as Jas talked about what she was learning from Penny and Marnie shared an update on the cows that were soon to give birth. He was thinking about Lucus and his strange secret.

How long would it take for Lucus to trust him with this information? Did he even want Lucus to trust him?

The nights got steadily colder as summer turned to autumn. The last festival of the summer, the dance of the moonlight jellies, came and went with no more excitement than usual. Although, if Lucus showed up then Shane never saw him. Jas loved it. So much so that she used all her energy staying awake to see the last of them swim away. Shane carried her back to the ranch and she was asleep in his arms before they even made it off the beach.

Shane tucked her gently into bed once they got home and quietly watched her for a long moment. She was a good girl. And she deserved so much better than him. He hadn't been quite sure what her parents were thinking when they named him her godfather, but he had been sure they would never need him to step into their shoes. They were good people. Nothing bad ever happened to them.

But it did and then they were gone. And they had left Shane to not only pick up the pieces after losing two of his best friends, but with a broken-hearted little girl to take care of too. He thanked Yoba that she was independent and strong for her age. She had bounced back faster than he had thought possible, though he knew she would always miss her parents.

Shane sighed, slipping from her room to go to his own. She scrubbed his hands through his hair and down his face. He couldn't do this. Life was a looming mountain and he was just... himself. Just this tiny insignificant speck in the grand scheme of things.

He dragged a six pack out of the corner of his room and cracked one open. Tipping back the alcohol, he tried to drown out the feeling of worthlessness in his stomach. Tried to numb the guilt in his chest. Tried to quiet the whirlwinds of thoughts going through his head. Just tried to make himself feel nothing, because feeling everything was just too much.


	9. Chapter 9

Lucus double checked his numbers and decided it was a good thing he had built the second silo. His chicken coop residents went through feed faster than it was growing out in the field. Or they were eating more than they should when he let them out for the day. He'd believe it of the dinosaur. And the void chicken was a bit of an ass too.

In any event, he had managed to fill one silo for the winter and held no hope of filling the second before the weather changed in a couple weeks. But he really needed them both full. Which meant he was just going to have to buy the rest.

And while he was at the ranch he could ask Marnie why his rabbit was growing a fifth foot.

Lucus took care of his morning chores and then wandered on south to the ranch, arriving only ten minutes or so after they opened. Yet, when he opened the door he found no one at the counter. He frowned, glancing at the clock hanging in the kitchen. They were open. Unless he had gotten his days mixed up again.

With his attention in the kitchen, he noticed Jas standing awkwardly next to the table. Lucus took the couple steps towards her and then heard Marnie speaking softly in the next room. Her tone was concerned and a little scolding, though Lucus couldn't make out actual words.

Marnie must have felt his presense, however, because she glanced out into the kitchen and spotted him. Lucus shifted uncomfortably as he was suddenly pulled into whatever was bothering her. He would never understand these people and how freely they accepted him into their private affairs.

"Oh. Good morning Lucus. Can you do something? He's out cold."

Lucus dropped a comforting hand on Jas's shoulder as he slipped through the kitchen and into the next room. Just given the comments, Lucus was pretty sure of what he would find when he padded into the room. It was only a little worse than he had thought.

The room was a mess of beer cans, with Shane sprawled out in the middle of the chaos. It smelled like stale beer, body oder and vomit. Lucus wrinkled his nose as he turned for the bathroom, scooping up a can on his way. He dumped the last swallow of beer out in the sink and filled it again with water from the tap. And with one silent wish that Shane wasn't violent after waking up from a binge, he poured the water over Shane's head.

Shane was immediately awake with a yelp of surprise, jumping to his feet. Spluttering and wiping the water from his face, he finally turned red rimmed eyes up to look at the invaders in his room. Lucus met the unhappy gaze with one of his own, taking in the sickly complexion and the dark circles under his eyes. 

Behind Lucus, Marnie began to complain, though Lucus still held Shane's gaze. "Shane! What's the matter with you? All you do anymore is mope around your room and drink beer!"

Shane blinked and finally tore his eyes away from Lucus's own, turning away from them all. "You wouldn't understand..."

Marnie pressed on, and Lucus wasn't sure if he should speak up in the middle of this family drama to tell her not to press. That if she kept pushing, someone would say something they shouldn't. "I'm worried... What's your plan? Don't you ever think about the future?"

Shane hunched in on himself, spitting bitterly. "Plan? Hopefully I won't be around long enough to need a 'plan'..."

Lucus closed his eyes when a childish sob and little feet running away followed that statement. And there was what shouldn't have been said. At least, not here and now. Marnie followed the wailing little girl and Lucus heard the front door shut a moment later. 

Shane mumbled Jas's name and hung his head, quietly apologizing under his breath. He put his head in his hands and fell to his knees with a piteous tremble of distress, apparently about to wallow in his own misery. Lucus sighed and rolled up his sleeves. He supposed he could leave Shane here, but he wasn't going to.

Shane squawked as Lucus bodily picked him up and threw him over a shoulder. Lucus ignored the furious cursing and wiggling until he was in the bathroom, where he dropped Shane into the tub and turned on the water.

Which produced a colorful discription of his mother that amused him to no end. Shane shivered as he blinked at Lucus in surprise.

Cold water came hissing down, soaking Shane in moments. Lucus messed with the temperature until it would come out warm, then pulled his shirt over his head to dive in after Shane. He noticed Shane flushing and glanced down at himself. His core was corded with muscle from his mother's training. His arms and shoulders had bulked up some from the farmwork.

But they were both men, so... He decided it was all the scarring that littered his flesh, proof of a violent past.

Lucus wrestled Shane's blue hoodie off and tossed it in the sink with a wet plop. His shirt was soon following. Lucus noted that the blush was traveling down Shane's chest. Lucus supposed, in different circumstances, he might have been blushing too. Shane was no airbrushed model, but he wasn't ugly either.

He had been fit and muscled at one time, Lucus could tell. The little beer belly he had developed didn't detract from that. Lucus supposed if Shane spent a little more time outside and got a bit of a tan, it would help to hide the dark circles under his eyes.

And there was something a little erotic about being half-naked with water streaming down his face and body. Especially with the pouty glare Shane probably didn't realize he was doing.

But Lucus was trying to be impersonal and clinical. Now wasn't the time to get handsy, what with Shane's emotions already being a mess. Besides that, Lucus didn't know how sober he was. Drunk enough to allow Lucus to undress him at any rate.

Shane's pants came off next, but Lucus left his boxers on. The shower head was the sort on an extended hose, so Lucus pulled it down and let it hang out of the way as he sat on the edge of the tub. The shampoo was an easy reach away and Lucus grabbed it, putting a generous dollop in his hand. Then he was massaging it into Shane's hair.

Shane relaxed a little, oddly accepting of the whole process. Lucus had been expecting more thrashing and fighting.

"Why do you care? Why are you still trying to be friends with me? Haven't I been rude enough to you yet?"

Lucus glanced down between his scrubbing fingers to where Shane was eyeing him. He shrugged, turning his attention back up to Shane's hair, scraping a little with his fingernails when he found something crusty.

"I guess because I've been where you are. It would have been nice if there was someone to yank me out of the mess I'd made. And you've definitely made a mess of things. When you're presentable you should apologize to Jas."

Shane darkened. "I know."

"I've got some Fairy Roses coming in, if you wanted to come get some for her. I know they're her favorite."

"Of course you do."

Lucus chuckled at the bitterness. "At least, that's what Vincent tells me." Lucus gently put two fingers beneath Shane's chin and tipped his head back. Shane swallowed, blinking up at Lucus with something almost fearful. The fear disappeared when Lucus grabbed the shower head to rinse the shampoo from Shane's hair. It was replaced with something almost... disappointed?

Lucus carefully rinsed Shane's hair, making sure not to get any in his eyes. Once all the shampoo was gone, Lucus spotted a razor and some shaving cream on the sink. He hopped up to get both and quickly lathered up Shane's face. Shane held perfectly still, head back and eyes closed. Lucus took the opportunity to actually look at Shane. The man always got so fidgety under his gaze.

"Shane?"

"Hmm?"

"When you said I had a future, what did you mean?"

Shane's eyes slowly opened and met Lucus's. He considered for a moment as Lucus finished shaving under his chin and wiped away the excess shaving cream. "You're young and strong with good health. You can do whatever you want. I mean, you started with a junky field and a run down cabin in the woods and now you have a working farm. In less than a year."

Lucus kept his eyes away as he rinsed the razor off. "Those are accomplishments. Not a future."

"Fine then. You can settle down on your farm, working the land for the rest of your life, find a pretty little thing to marry and have a bunch of kids."

"So you're saying I have a future here? In Pelican Town."

"Sure. Why not?"

"I've done some pretty terrible things. I don't know that anyone will want me around if they ever find out." Lucus caught Shane's confused look and elaborated without prompting. "I used to be a soldier, before I came here. An officer in the war. I did things you can't even imagine, just because I was told it was necessary."

Shane licked his lips, watching the pain in Lucus's face. Lucus didn't want to know what was going through his head, and in a morbid sense, he did want to know all at the same time.

"Jodi's husband is fighting in the war too."

Lucus nodded. "Sam told me that."

"When he comes back we'll accept him."

Lucus bit his lip, then forced a smile. "Right. I should have known. You can handle the rest yourself?" Shane nodded so Lucus got to his feet. "Good. I'll leave you to it then." He quickly turned and grabbed his shirt before he left the ranch, cursing himself for not having the guts to stay and finish that conversation.


	10. Chapter 10

Shane wasn't quite sure why he thought Lucus would still be around when he got out of the shower. The man had only stripped him mostly naked, took care of him, and confused the hell out of him. He grumbled as he threw a load of laundry in and then hauled the empty beer cans he had collected out of his room out to the garbage.

Soft talking behind him drew his attention and he turned around. Marnie was walking Jas back. The little girl was wiping tears from her face still, and she froze when she saw Shane. He cleared his throat and decided now was better than later. Marching up to her, he took a knee in front of her.

"Jas, I'm so sorry I said that. I didn't mean to upset you. I... I'm just really sorry."

Jas fixed him with a serious look. "Are you really going to leave?"

Shane swallowed and caught the uncomfortable shift Marnie made. He wasn't the type to lie. And Jas, of all people, knew it. It had annoyed her mother and amused her father. Shane wasn't quite sure if he was lying or not when he said, "I'm not leaving Jas."

It soothed her fears at least. But Shane could see the confliction in Marnie's face as he got to his feet again. Shane ignored it, unwilling to get into that conversation here and now. Or ever really. "Did you see Lucus on your way back?"

Marnie shook her head. "No. Not since the house."

Shane nodded, gently laying a hand on Jas's shoulder as he turned for the farm. "I'll be back. I promise." That at least was something he could keep. He hurried through the forest with such purpose until he got to the back gate of the farm. Then he stopped.

The back gate was wide open, as it usually was. The path was still carefully cleared and it was shorter to the settled fields too. Lucus had even invited him over to pick Fairy Roses for Jas. So why did it suddenly feel like an intrusion.

Shane set his jaw and took the first step. The rest came easier. His heart thudded in his chest and his head pounded. He probably needed water and painkillers more than a run through the forest, but this was going to bother him until he got an answer.

Who the hell did Lucus think he was anyways? First he's talking like he knows everything Shane's feeling and then scolding him for it. While they're both mostly naked, in the tub, while Lucus washes Shane's hair.

Who wouldn't be confused? Did the man want to be a sober companion, a friend, or something more? And if he wanted to be more, then he had a funny way of showing it.  
And then Shane was standing on Lucus's front porch. He knocked on the door and refused to retreat this time. He waited for a long moment with no answer. So he knocked again. Still there was no answer.

He yelled with a good bit of irritation. "Lucus?!" Shane stood glaring at the door for a long moment before he had to assume Lucus wasn't at home. But where would he have gone? Shane didn't usually see him at the saloon. Maybe he had gone to the mines? It would be stupid to try to follow him down there. Lucus got sent to the clinic on a regular basis and he was not only armed, but had a basic knowledge of what he was getting into. Shane had neither sword nor any idea of what he would be getting into.

It wasn't quite noon yet, so where would a farmer go on an autumn day when all his animals were fed and plants were watered? Shane sighed and stepped off the porch, shivering a little when the wind blew and chilled him. But his hoodie had been soaked and was now in the wash. It also didn't help that his hair was wet.

He took a quick look around and spotted the patch of Fairy Roses. He could do that first. He found a pair of shears sitting on top of a bag of fertilizer nearby and used them to cut a few flowers. Then, with the shears replaced where he'd found them, Shane took the little bouquet home to give it to Jas.

Jas loved the flowers, and it went a long way towards making her feel better, even if she was still worried about him leaving. He promised once more that he would be back and then headed into town. He didn't see Lucus. No one he asked had seen Lucus.

Shane eventually found himself wandering Cindersap, playing with the idea of going and asking the Wizard. He hesitated when he heard the rush of the ocean. Turning towards the sound, he slipped through the trees until he came through the abrupt break in trees and found himself standing on top of a cliff.

Looking past his toes, Shane looked down the thirty or forty foot drop to the rocks and crashing waves below. For a long moment, he stood there looking down at the rolling water. Wondering. Why was he even trying to find Lucus if he had run at the first opportunity? If he really cared, then he would have stayed at the ranch and waited, wouldn't he? Why was Shane trying so hard to find Lucus anyways? He had been telling Lucus from the very beginning to go away and leave him alone. Avoiding him.

He had what he wanted.

Shane turned away from the cliff and headed back to the ranch. If Lucus wanted a pathetic piece of shit like him, then he would say so. Until then, Shane would continue to assume that there was not a single person in this entire world who would be better with him around.

Except maybe Gus, who depended on his steady consumption of beer to stay in business.


	11. Chapter 11

Lucus spent the better part of a week psyching himself up. He was going to do it. He was going to tell Shane who and what he was. And depending on how Shane took the news, he would either resume his new life, or find Rasmodius's ex wife and have her turn him into a dove. Nobody would bother with a dove.

That was what he told himself as he went to bed. He swore to himself that the next day was the day. Nothing would change his mind or make him put it off.

So of course the next day dawned with one of the worst thunderstorms Lucus had seen in the valley. He closed up the chicken coop and made sure all his critters were accounted for and fed. He took a rueful look at the last of the cranberry bushes and the grapes on the trellis. Then he decided there wasn't much time left for them to produce fruit anyways, and he left them to the elements.

Lucus hurried for Joja Mart first, figuring Shane would be at work, which wasn't the best time to talk but he could at least set up a time and place for later. However, walking up and down the aisles produced not a single glimpse of Shane.

The slightly overweight and largly creepy store manager caught him on his third circuit of the store, asking what he was looking for.

"Shane. He works today doesn't he?"

The manager, Morris if his nametag was right, immediately darkened. "That worthless idiot never showed up for his shift. I've had about enough of his bullshit. He's rude, always hungover, and-"

Lucus wasn't quite sure what the last complaint was. The first statement had worried him and everything afterward had pissed him off. Lucus was typically a very even tempered man. He had to be if he expected to lead armies with a clear head. Yet, at this particular moment, he found himself balling his hands into fists and growling. "You shut up right now."

Morris blinked in surprise, his mouth falling open to gape for a moment. "Wha- Who are you to talk to me like that? Let me guess. You're another deadbeat just like him, wasting your lives drinking and whining about how bad your life is when all you have to do is get up and change it. But no, you just want to sit around feeling sorry for yourselves and collecting bastard children to-"

Suddenly Lucus had a slight pain in his knuckles and Morris was on the floor at his feet. He sneered down at the man, snarling angrily. "You were in enough trouble before bringing Jas into this."

Lucus turned and stalked out of the store, wincing a little when Morris started screaming at his back about being banned from the store and Shane could look elsewhere for a job. Lucus crashed through the doors and jogged over the bridge, back into town. If he had lost Shane his job, then he would fix that later.

Right now, he just wanted to find Shane and make sure he was okay.

Lucus would have swung by the saloon but it was still an hour to noon so they weren't open yet. He stopped by Emily's house instead, nodding to her sister and ignoring the turned up nose. Emily came in from the kitchen when Haley called her and smiled.

"Lucus! What brings you in this weather?"

"And where are your shoes?"

Lucus ignored Haley completely and glossed over Emily's question to get to his own. "I'm looking for Shane. You seen him?"

Emily's smile faded. "No, actually. I've been getting a little worried about him. I haven't seen him at the saloon in almost a week. Maybe he's been sick?"

Lucus didn't answer. He turned and dashed out into the rain again, ignoring Emily calling his name. He jogged out to the ranch and slipped inside. Marnie had a customer, so Lucus waited impatiently, shifting from foot to foot until Marnie noticed him. He made a gesture towards Shane's room with a raised brow.

Marnie shook her head and Lucus stilled, a bad feeling creeping up on him. Marnie gently excused herself from her customer to come over to Lucus. Leaning in close, she spoke in a low tone with urgency.

"Shane's not here. He came home really drunk last night and I don't think he slept at all. He looked horrible on his way out the door. Would you mind going to his work to check on him? I'm really worried."

Lucus slowly nodded, deciding not to worry her further with the information that he wasn't at work. "I'll find him." Marnie quietly thanked him as he hurried back out into the storm. He paused on the doorstep for a moment. If he wasn't at work or the saloon, that left...

Lucus started for the lake, hoping Shane wasn't sitting on the pier. In this weather it would be an invitation to be struck by lightning. But Shane wasn't at the pier, or anywhere on the lake's edges. Lucus wasn't about to give up yet, however. He headed back towards the ranch, keeping a closer eye on the path on his way. He finally saw what he needed and dodged off the path, scooping up the empty beer can on his way past.

He spotted a trail of broken grasses and decided he was still on the right path, then a mess of mud and broken branches where he guessed someone (Shane) had tripped and fallen hard. And then Lucus didn't need to track any more because he knew what was in this direction. He started running, bare feet kicking mud and water everywhere.  
When he came skidding out of the tree line, he could have collapsed in relief. Shane lay on the ground surrounded by beer cans. He didn't look to be in good shape, but it certainly could have been worse. Lucus cast a glance at the edge and the long drop beyond as he padded quietly up to Shane.

Shane opened bleary eyes and took a beat too long to focus. "...Lucus... I... I'm sorry." He hiccuped and threw an arm over his face as he continued to slur. "My life... It's a pathetic joke... Look at me... Why do I even try?" He sniffed, shoulders beginning to shake and voice breaking, betraying the tears his arm covered. "I'm too small and stupid to... to take control of my life... I'm just a p... piece of soiled garbage flittering in the wind."

Lucus dropped to his knees next to Shane, gently touching his elbow to pull his arm down. Shane let him, hiccupping again as the rain mixed with his tears sliding down his face.  
"I've been coming here often lately... looking down... Here's a chance to finally take control of my life... These cliffs... B...bu...but I'm too scared, too anxious. Just like always... Lucus... All I do is work, sleep, and drink... to dull the feelings of self-hatred. Why should I even go on? Tell me... T... Tell me why I shouldn't just roll off this cliff right now..."

Lucus leaned down and pressed his lips to Shane's. A sharp inhale and Shane's entire body going stiff told Lucus he had startled Shane, but he didn't retreat. If nothing else, Shane should know Lucus wasn't afraid of anything Shane was or did.

Shane's hands suddenly lifted, one hand clutching into his shirt while fingers threaded through his soaked white hair. Shane kissed like it was the last one he'd ever get. Lucus could taste the alcohol. Smell it. It should have been enough to bring him back to his senses, but he still found himself straddling Shane to deepen the kiss. Shane wasn't helping, dragging his body down and arching his own to bring them flush together.

Lucus let his mouth wander away from Shane's lips, kissing and mouthing along his jaw to get to the tender flesh just under his ear. He murmured there, making Shane shiver and gasp. "The decision is your own. Just know that I'm here for you."

Shane panted, his arms holding tight even as his body relaxed. "Thanks... I appreciate that... I really do. Lucus... I think you should take me to the hospital now."

Lucus huffed in amusement, dropping his forehead down onto Shane's shoulder. "Yeah. Leave it to the drunk man to talk sense to the completely sober one." He lifted his head to grin at Shane. Shane started to mumble something, then cut off as he stared into Lucus's eyes. His fingers left the back of Lucus's head to brush the wet strands off his forehead.

Feeling if he allowed Shane to continue they would never get to the hospital, Lucus shook off the hands and levered himself off of Shane. "Come on. Up you get."

Lucus lifted Shane onto his back, though Shane did try to help. Once he was on though, he settled his forehead against Lucus's shoulder and went still.

"Don't pass out on me. Shane? Come on Shane. Stay awake until Harvey gets a look at you."

Lucus moved as quickly as he could for Harvey's office, and rolled his eyes when he banged on the door and Harvey immediately assumed he was all beat up again. But, to his credit, Harvey only took one look at Shane draped over Lucus's back and was just as quickly sliding into his professional manner.

Much later, with Shane in bed, Harvey gave Lucus the basic run down. How he had pumped Shane's stomach and rehydrated him. Lucus shook his head and waved off the medical talk. "I don't care what you did as long as it works."

Harvey nodded. "He's going to be okay. It's good that you brought him in though. Too much alcohol is bad for the body...but right now I'm most worried about his mental health... When he comes to, I'll have a chat with him about his treatment options. I know an excellent counselor in Zuzu City... Life can be painful sometimes, but there's always hope for a better future. You've got to believe in that."

Lucus clenched his jaw for a moment as he turned to look at the screen that hid Shane. "Hope is hard to come by sometimes. Especially when you're at the bottom of a deep abyss."


	12. Chapter 12

A couple days later, Shane was finally released from Harvey's care. Marnie had come to visit him every day Harvey had held him hostage and listened to everything the doctor told her. Shane was happy some of it was private, what with the doctor/patient confidentiality, but as the only family he had, Marnie was entitled to some of it.

Shane, for his part, watched her sobbing and how clingy Jas became and felt plenty of guilt for making them worry. He guessed, based on what Marnie talked about, that Harvey hadn't told her about where Lucus had found him. What he had been contemplating. Or maybe Lucus hadn't told Harvey. Either way, it was clear Shane needed to thank Lucus.

And the fact that something was clear, for the first time in a very long time, made Shane think that maybe talking to a counselor wasn't such a bad idea. Shane took in a deep breath and turned for the farm upon his release from the clinic. The crisp air came with the smell of dead leaves and ozone. It was going to snow soon.

Shane stopped in front of Lucus's porch, only just realizing it was early. The chickens were always up early, but that didn't mean Lucus was. Then again, he had been a soldier and was now a farmer so probably...

The door opened and Lucus stepped out onto the porch, looking a little surprised when he found Shane waiting for him. He stepped out to the first step and hooked his thumbs in his pockets, giving Shane a flashback to the time they had first met. He shoved that away and took in a deep breath before letting it out with what he wanted to say.

"I came to apologize. I was in a really bad place and you stepped in when you really didn't have to. Actually I guess this makes the second time. So, I'm sorry. And thank you. I've decided to take Harvey up on his offer to get me in contact with his counseling friend."

Lucus took a step down, his mouth pulling up at one corner. "I'm just glad you're still here."

Shane swallowed. "Wow. It was that serious huh? I can hardly remember..." Honestly, he had sort of guessed, but so much of that night was a jumble. He wasn't quite sure what was real and what was drunken hallucination. "There's so much that doesn't make sense... The only thing I know for sure is that you found me and took me to Harvey. Did you kiss me?"

Lucus stepped down again so he was level with Shane. "I should apologize for that one. You weren't in any shape to defend your honor and I really didn't mean to take advantage of that."

Shane shook his head. "It's okay. It actually answers at least one question that's been keeping me up at night. But it was just a kiss right? Nothing else?"

Lucus raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I touched nothing."

The tension eased out of Shane's stomach. He hadn't thought anything had happened, but it was nice to know for sure. "And I imagined your eyes going red too." Shane caught Lucus stiffen and suddenly wasn't quite so sure of his statement. "Didn't I?"

Lucus bit his lip, sliding his fingers through his hair in a gesture of discomfort. "About that..." He shifted on his feet, bare toes scooting a pebble around as he thought hard for a moment. "This could take awhile so do you wanna come in?"

Shane quietly nodded and Lucus seemed to be relieved and nervous all at the same time.

"Okay. Just, um, go on and make yourself at home while I feed the chickens and the rest and then I'll be right back." Lucus hurried off and left Shane staring after him. After a moment, Shane turned and stepped up onto the porch, then slipped into the little farmhouse.

Shane wasn't quite sure what he was expecting. He just found normal a little surprising. Here and there were things that most people didn't have, like the sword belt hung with the coat and hat by the door. Or the world map pinned to the wall with a pair of daggers, one of which was jeweled like it was supposed to be ornamental. He reached up to touch it and only barely missed slicing himself on the razor sharp edge.

"It's an old keepsake."

Shane jumped, surprised when Lucus spoke up behind him. Lucus padded slowly into the house and up to Shane, looking at the jeweled dagger. "I threw out almost everything from when I was in the military. But for some reason, I couldn't get rid of that."

Shane cocked his head. "I thought you worked for Joja?"

Lucus shook his head. "That's just the story I've been telling so I could hide the truth. I wasn't out in the woods in the middle of a storm for no reason. I was looking for you. I had finally worked up the guts to tell you about myself." He frowned, looking guilty all of a sudden. "I suppose I should also mention I punched your boss. I'm not real clear on whether or not he intends to fire you for it."

Shane snorted, finding that bit of news more humorous than he probably should. "Fuck Morris."

Lucus smiled. "I guess I'll jump right in then. I'm not actually from Zuzu city. I'm not originally from the Ferngill Republic at all. I'm what's called a Dark Elf, and we are native to the Gotoro Empire. That's why my hair is white and my eyes will turn red if my emotions get too out of hand. I have a little magic, enough to keep up some glamour to keep them hidden, but it'll slip if I get excited."

Shane swallowed, processing this rather big news. Not only was Lucus a part of the Empire that they were currently at war with, but he wasn't even human. His curiosity got the better of him and he reached up, gently pushing Lucus's hair out of his face. "Can I see?"

Lucus blinked and the maroon that had always been just outside of normal brightened into a rich blood red. Shane stared, the startling color bringing back a little more of that stormy night. How Lucus had kissed him so passionately when he asked for a reason to keep living.

Shane took in a breath and brought himself back to the present. "Why would you come here then? It's got to be dangerous for you to be here, so what's so worth the risk?"

"I was hoping to find something that could remove or suppress my Dark Elf side. I'm half human. My father was originally from here, so the old man who lived here really is my grandfather, though my mother would prefer not to think about that. She's still got this idea that I'll be a general in her army and lead the Empire to victory."

"Sounds better than hiding out on a farm. If people find out about you, you'd be jailed and tried as a spy for the Empire. And that's best case scenario." Shane hesitated, thinking. "At least, in the city that's what would happen. Out here... Let's just say the people of Pelican Town are just strange enough they might let it slide. People around here like you, too, so that helps."

Lucus shook his head a little incredulously. "I'll never understand that one. I was being about as anti-social as you and people still warmed up to me."

"You warmed up to me."

Lucus looked a little surprised for a moment, then grinned. That open, unguarded expression that set Shane's heart racing. Lucus started to say something but Shane leaned forward, catching Lucus off guard. He pressed their lips together, watching through half-lidded eyes as Lucus's eyes went wide, then slid shut. Shane closed his own eyes as Lucus leaned into him, reaching up to thread his fingers through Lucus's white hair.

He pulled away and quirked a half smile when Lucus blinked at him. "I just wanted one that I'd actually remember."

Lucus grinned. "That was actually really close to what happened the other night, and I'll give you a lot more than one to remember if you really want to."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little winter snow in the June heat...

Lucus had thought the winter would be boring with no plants to tend and all his critters hiding indoors. It was certainly not boring, but he had Shane to thank for that rather than anything farm related. Shane asked about a thousand questions about his race and the war and his family and how he had crossed the Gem Sea. Then he asked a hundred more.

And every now and then there was a festival or an occasion where Shane just wanted to make out. Lucus liked those days best. Today, for example, was the ice festival. Lucus had no idea what an ice festival was but he pulled on a pair of boots and a coat, took care of the chicken coop, and headed south towards Marnie's ranch.

He didn't need to know what it was to know it was an opportunity to spend some time with Shane.

When he stepped off the path through the forest between his farm and the ranch, he stepped into a garden of ice sculptures. Robin spared him a glance and a smile before resuming her careful chipping. Lucus slid past her, not wanting to bother her. He could leave that to Leah.

Next he found some little ice huts and several people building snowmen. He grinned when he spotted Emily helping Clint. The poor man was so hopelessly in love and Emily was surprisingly oblivious.

"Think they'll ever get together?"

Lucus glanced over his shoulder to find Shane watching them too. He grinned even wider and shook his head. "Not unless somebody spells it out for them. Come on." Lucus grabbed Shane's hand, tugging him towards one of the ice huts. He let go of Shane and dropped to his knees at the entrance, peeking inside. "Anybody home?"

There was no answer so Lucus crawled inside. He turned to sit in the space that probably could have held three or four.

"What are you doing?" Shane's voice drifted through the entrance, making Lucus grin. 

"Come inside."

"It's cold enough as it is."

"It's also warmer in here than you might think." Lucus heard Shane sigh, then scooted back to make room as Shane crawled inside. Once settled, Shane looked around.

"It really is warm in here. How does that work?"

"Snow is actually a really good insulator. Or at least that's what I hear. We don't get snow in the Empire, just a lot of rain."

Shane eyed him curiously. "Is that why you're acting like Jas?"

Lucus just grinned, leaning in close to give Shane a quick kiss before scrambling back out of the snow hut. Behind him, Shane sighed again as he followed Lucus. The space set up for an ice fishing competition barely held Lucus's attention for a moment, then he was bounding through the drifts to look over a small rise. The lake down below with the pier all covered in snow, viewed through the barren trees, was beautiful.

Shane caught up and stood next to him, sending him a curious glance. "What's got you so excited today anyways? Can't just be the snow. It's been snowing for almost a week now."

Lucus slowly smiled, turning a sly look on Shane. "You."

Shane flushed and started to turn away. His foot slipped on something beneath the snow and he started to fall. Lucus hurriedly grabbed his wrist, hoping to pull Shane back to solid footing. Instead, he was pulled along as Shane went toppling over to roll down the little hill. Lucus tried to absorb most of the impact as they rolled over and over, all tangled up in each other. He wasn't sure how much he succeeded when Shane groaned as they finally came to a rest with Lucus on top of him.

Lucus gazed down at Shane, a smile tugging at his lips as he bit back a laugh. His mirth tumbled out anyways when it became clear Shane was unhurt and hiding a smile of his own. They both laughed for a moment as Lucus reached up to brush snow from Shane's hair.

Shane's laughter faded away as he stared up at Lucus, his breath coming faster and his eyes traveling down to Lucus's mouth. Lucus bit his lip, wondering if he should suggest they ditch the rest of the festival and go warm up at his place.

Poof!

A snowball exploded against the side of Lucus's head, making him reel for a moment before leaping to his feet. He playfully glowered up the hill to where Jas and Vincent were both holding snowballs. "Alright, who did it?! You two are both gonna get-"

Poof!

Lucus staggered forward a step, hand reaching up to brush the snow sticking to his back of his head. Jas shrieked in laughter as he turned back to look at Shane, standing with hands in his pockets and looking around like he wasn't the only person it could possibly be.

Lucus scooped up a handful of snow and Shane ran for the kids. The war was on. Jas and Vincent did an excellent job of covering Shane as he made for higher ground, though Lucus did get a couple good hits on all three before he was utterly annihilated. When it was over, he lay in the snow, chuckling to himself. He blinked up when a shadow covered him and grinned as Shane leaned over him.

"Had enough?"

Lucus laughed and nodded. "Yeah. I am officially over snow. For the next year. Now help me up and point me in the direction of the nearest fireplace." Lucus grabbed the hand Shane offered and got to his feet. They had missed most of the festival, but Lucus was okay with that. There was always next year, and it was at that moment that he began thinking in terms of years instead of weeks.

There were other things to occupy himself with as he eagerly awaited the new year. He began storing up stone and lumber with the intention of asking Robin to do a little work on the farmhouse. He still took gifts to the Junimos and they fixed up the bus that had been rusting at the bus stop near his house. They fixed up the little building he had never gotten around to knocking down too, restoring it to a very useful greenhouse.

He talked with Dwarf and Krobus and Rasmodius, though it was really more for their diverse company rather than because he thought they could 'fix' him. Shane's acceptance had done more for him than just ease his mind about what people around town might think about him. Things were finally starting to feel like it would all work out.

It was finally starting to feel like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...and the bit about snow being a good insulator is true. People can survive a night stranded into the snow by digging out a snow cave to sleep in


	14. Chapter 14

Shane tossed and turned. He felt thirsty but he knew that was just his alcohol dependence talking. His addiction. And what would the point of going to Zuzu city for counseling and cutting back on beer be if he turned to it every time there was a problem.

Shane kicked off the covers and got up, pulling on shoes. If he couldn't sleep, he'd just take a walk until he was tired. He pulled his hoodie a little closer around him as the night air bit at him when he stepped outside and set a brisk pace out into the forest.

His feet took him north, towards Lucus's farm. It was late, and he thought about turning away to continue his walk elsewhere. But a soft light shining across the snow covered fields caught his eye. Lucus had finished cleaning up the fields once winter had arrived, so Shane moved along without worry of tripping over anything.

A light was on in the little farm house, giving Shane a glimpse inside. He couldn't see Lucus, but he wasn't really worried about waking him up if the lights were on. He climbed up onto the porch, crossing to the door to knock.

The door quickly opened, the light from inside back lighting Lucus. Shane could still see the smile that curved Lucus's mouth and brightened his eyes.

"Hi Shane. Come on in. What brings you?"

Shane stomped a little to knock the snow off his shoes before stepping across the threshold. "I couldn't sleep so I took a walk."

"Right to my front door?" Lucus had a little teasing in his tone.

"You had a light on so I figured..." Shane trailed off, not quite sure what he had figured. Honestly, he was just looking for a distraction. Lucus gave him a knowing look and grinned.

"Well, since you're here you can answer some questions for me. Starting with what is this winter star feast all about?"

Shane shrugged, following Lucus as he led the way into the cabin and headed for the fridge. "Something about a star that could only be seen from the valley. People would come from all over the place to see it so I guess the townsfolk back then decided to make a festival out of it."

Lucus pulled a pair of soda cans out of the fridge and offered one to Shane. "That doesn't tell me why there's secret gift giving."

Shane took the offered can, smirking a little. "What, don't like the secret friend the Mayor picked out for you?"

Lucus shook his head, opening up his soda and leaning back against the kitchen counter. "Just means I can't ditch or Alex won't get a gift. Unless whoever got me gives him what they brought along and I wasn't supposed to tell anyone who I got was I."

Shane chuckled as Lucus scowled. "It's okay. I won't tell." He opened his own soda and took a drink. It eased his craving a little, though he knew it was mostly in his head. "What are you giving Alex?"

"Salmon dinner. I'm not the greatest cook but as long as I don't burn it, it's the thought that counts right?"

Shane slowly nodded, realizing that listening to Lucus talk about another guy was making him irritated. He changed the subject. "So you don't have any winter festivals in Gotoro?"

Lucus shook his head. "We celebrate battles won and on blood moons we celebrate our Goddess of Darkness."

Shane stared, feeling a little shock. "That's it? No birthdays or weddings or change of the seasons?"

Lucus laughed, making butterflies start fluttering in Shane's stomach. "I was so confused about all your festivals. I thought Lewis was trying to pull a joke on me 'cause when I got an invitation to a flower dance...?!"

"No wonder you were so reserved. You never had any fun."

Lucus just grinned, letting them fall into an easy silence. He suddenly seemed to think of something after a long moment and the good humor fell away. "Oh! I forgot to ask. Did anything happen with your boss after I punched him? You've still got your job, right?"

Shane shook his head. "No. I got fired. But it's okay." He hastened to reassure Lucus when the farmer started to look guilty. "That dump was toxic anyways. I've been helping Marnie out more, and if money gets tight, I can find work somewhere else. Joja was really just the path of least resistance."

Lucus slowly relaxed, though he still didn't look completely at ease. "I really am sorry about that."

Shane cocked his head. "I don't think you ever told me why you punched him." His stomach flipped when Lucus's eyes flashed red for a moment, indicating that even now he still felt strongly about it.

"I was worried about you and he was throwing insults. When he brought Jas into it I kinda lost my temper."

Shane nodded. "I probably would have punched him too." He thought he had managed to control himself, but Lucus must have caught the distraction in Shane's voice. He regarded Shane for a moment before a sly smile crept across his face and his eyes went red. Shane choked on the swallow of soda he had just taken. "Quit it!"

Lucus grinned wider, setting aside his soda and pushing off the counter with the grace of a predator, eyes still blazing red. "But you like it. For some strange reason, you like when my glamour slips."

Shane could feel the flush creeping up his cheeks and heating the back of his neck. His hands shook a little as the feeling of being stalked settled in his gut. It wasn't an entirely pleasant feeling, but there was still something about it that was...enticing. "So what if I do?!"

Lucus prowled into Shane's space and slowly leaned in, giving every opportunity for an escape. Shane was beginning to think he lacked the brains to escape while he could. He met Lucus's advance with one of his own, closing the distance between them to press their mouths together.

For all of his stalking, Lucus let Shane take the lead once they were actually pressing together. Shane appreciated that Lucus wouldn't push, though it seemed pretty clear he wanted to. For the time being, Shane needed some control in his life. It was nice that Lucus seemed to not only realize, but willingly surrender to Shane's pace.


	15. Chapter 15

Lucus shadowed Shane during the feast of the winter star, mimicking the greetings and rituals. He was fairly certain Shane thought it was amusing. He was also quite sure Shane got a little jealous when Alex started gushing over the salmon dinner Lucus had brought. Lucus supposed he could come up with something for Shane quickly enough. As far as he could tell, there weren't any rules about giving multiple people a gift.

And Shane could deny his feelings of jealousy all he liked. Lucus knew better. He invited Shane back to his place that night to show him something and watched the irritation quickly fade from Shane's features. As evening began to fall and the festival came to a close, Shane followed Lucus home, both of them moving at a leisurely pace due to full bellies and holiday honeyed mead in their systems.

Lucus led the way into the farmhouse and went to the fireplace, stirring it to life and adding some wood. He motioned Shane over and they settled down on the plush rug in front of the fireplace, wrapping up in a blanket together. Lucus enjoyed the closeness until Shane spoke softly.

"Not that this isn't nice... Really nice... but weren't you going to show me something?"

Lucus slowly nodded. "Rasmodius has been teaching me to tap into the magic in the land. This whole valley is steeped in it, though most of the humans don't notice. I think I can show you though, if you're interested."

Shane nodded so Lucus lifted a hand, palm up. After a moment's hesitation, Shane laced his fingers through Lucus's. Lucus slowly reached for the threads of magic binding everything together. He was getting faster at it with all the practice. He spoke softly as he grasped at the threads and reeled them in.

"There's magic everywhere. But many of the creatures that use it are afraid of humans. Probably because humans are afraid of those who use magic. So they hide in the blindspots. You just have to know where and how to look."

Lucus nodded to a Junimo that had appeared in the corner of the house, half hiding under his table. Shane looked, his brow furrowing as he tried to see what Lucus was motioning to. Lucus leaned his shoulder against Shane's and tightened his hold on the magic. He smiled when Shane suddenly took in a breath.

"I see it."

Lucus turned to Shane and got distracted from what he was going to say when he noticed the golden strands of magic twining around their joined hands. The magic slithered around their wrists, climbing higher up their arms. Shane blinked and focused until he saw the threads too. He turned a quick glance up to Lucus before dropping his gaze back down to the magic binding them together.

"What is it?"

Lucus suddenly felt the familiar something that had been missing. The sensation that he hadn't been able to identify despite becoming comfortable with the magic signatures of Dwarves, Shadowfolk, Merfolk, Junimos and every other magical creature in the valley.

His gaze lifted to Shane and he decided his glamour must have slipped as he watched Shane's pupils dilate and breath hitch. "You? You're my cure?"

Shane blinked, completely lost now. Lucus could only grin.

"I should have known."

Shane cocked his head. "I don't understand."

Lucus just shook his head. "It's the magic of fairy-tales. Of course Rasmodius couldn't tell me what it was. I had to find it for myself." Shane obviously still didn't understand, but he let it go and leaned into Lucus, getting comfortable to watch the fire crackle.

"Thanks for showing me magic. It was pretty."

"You're welcome. It's nice having someone to show it to."

Afterwards, the days began to warm and the plants began to bloom. Spring quickly covered the valley in green, and Lucus was soon devoting much of his day to tending crops. And then keeping the chicken coop residents out of those crops.

Lucus quickly decided he needed to work smarter, not harder, and devoted most of a day to installing some sprinklers. By the time he got done the sun was beginning to set and he was tired. But not so tired that he didn't feel like going to see Shane. It was a Friday night, so Shane was bound to be at the saloon.

Lucus washed up, pulled on a fresh set of clothes, and hurried out into the gathering dusk. The walk into town went quickly, and it wasn't long at all before he was pushing through the door of the saloon and glancing around.

Shane looked up from his beer and a smile tugged at his lips as he waved a little in greeting. Lucus smiled back and slipped through the bar to get to Shane's little corner. "Evening."

"Evening. Don't usually see you in here. Can I buy you a drink?"

Lucus chuckled, glancing at the half empty mug in front of Shane. "You could. Sounds like a good way to end a productive day."

Shane grinned, gesturing to the stool beside him as he looked for Emily's attention. "Have a seat then. And you can tell me about this productive day and what brings you to the Stardrop."

Lucus was about to do just that, when his martial training kicked in and alerted him to a dangerous presence coming up behind him fast. If he had been anywhere else, with anyone else, he would have dodged away to face the looming threat on even footing. But he was acutely aware that if he moved, Shane would be in harms way.

Lucus turned to face whoever was coming up behind him and caught a fist to his jaw. The strength behind the punch sent him reeling into the bar, then down to the floor. He blinked and shook his head in an effort to clear the double vision. The ringing in his ears slowly faded to allow the ruckus going on around him in.

The older man looked familiar, though Lucus was quite sure they had never met. And then he made the connection. The man was Sam's father. The soldier who had gone off to fight the Gotoro Empire. The one person who could single handedly ruin everything Lucus had built here.

Lucus's blood ran cold as the man began to do just that.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for sticking with me for so long, and for all the great comments. I greatly appreciate it.

Shane wasn't quite sure what was going on. There was so much chaos to sort through. It seemed like every one in the bar was yelling. Clint and Willy had Sam's father, Kent, by the arms and were holding him back as he lunged and cursed at Lucus.

Lucus still sat on the floor, apparently not registering Shane next to him, trying to help him up. His eyes were wide, and Shane swore the farmer was shaking too.  
He wasn't even sure he knew what had prompted the hostility. Lucus had been nowhere near Kent. The man had just got to his feet and stalked all the way across the bar to punch Lucus. And then the curses Kent was spitting registered, and everything made sense.

"You filthy Dark Elf! You thought you could hide out here, spying for your heathen country?! You thought no one would recognize you?! Get on your feet and die like a man! Or would you rather die like the vermin you are?! I'll kill you, you hear me?! I'll kill you!"

Mayor Lewis quickly inserted himself into the center of it all and did his best to get Kent's attention. "Kent! Calm down, okay?! Lucus is just-"

"I know what that scum is! My friends died becuse of his people! I spent three years in hell because of those Dark Elf bastards! Don't tell me to calm down! Are you trying to tell me you've been letting a spy for the Gotoro Empire live here, like he's one of you?!"

The bar had gone silent. Shane felt his heartbeat quicken as all Lucus's secrets were flung into the open. The Mayor slowly started speaking again.

"There has to be some mistake. Lucus's grandfather lived here. I knew his father as a boy. He can't be a Dark Elf..." The Mayor turned to look at Lucus and Shane shifted in front of him. Realistically, he knew he would never be able to hold off this many people if they decided to do something. But Lucus needed him.

And he needed Lucus.

The thought was only a little less terrifying than the townsfolk in front of him turning into an angry mob bent on murder. He shoved those thoughts away and clenched his fists. "You all leave him alone."

Marnie's voice sounded worried as she spoke up in the heavy tension Shane had broken. "Shane-"

"No! He's not a spy! He came here to escape all that! He didn't want to fight anymore so he came here. He hasn't hurt anyone. He's done the opposite! He's helped all of us. Say he hasn't!" There was only silence in the wake of Shane's dare. A hand slowly closed on Shane's shoulder, rock steady and firm. Shane glanced back to find Lucus finally on his feet, blood smeared from where he had tried to wipe it away from his lip.

"It's okay Shane. I knew it would come around to this eventually. It was nice while it lasted." Lucus pushed gently past Shane, disregarding all protest he might have given. Lucus faced the Mayor and Kent, letting his glamour drop away. A murmur went through the crowd gathered around as they took in his red eyes. Lucus just lifted his chin and bore their scrutiny without a flinch.

For Shane's part, he watched the man who had finally opened himself up to happiness and trust retreat back behind solid walls of self loathing. No one could hate Lucus more than he himself did. And as hypocritical as it may be, Shane didn't think Lucus should feel that way.

Lewis swallowed, coughed a little, and rasped. "Go home Lucus. We can deal with all this in the morning, after we've had some time to cool off and sober up." Lucus nodded and ducked his head as he started for the door. The crowd parted quickly to let him through.

The door had barely shut behind Lucus before Shane grabbed a handful of the Mayor's vest to drag him around. "What are you gonna do?"

Mayor Lewis opened his mouth, then shut it again without a word. He shook his head helplessly.

Shane growled and hurried out the door, intent on following Lucus. The bar remained silent behind him, except for Kent's questions. It appeared no one knew what to think or how to feel. It was like the past year of Lucus hunting down random items they all wanted, dealing with whatever they dropped on him, and trying to help when they dragged him into their personal drama meant nothing.

Gritting his teeth, Shane headed out of town to get to the farm. Lucus had saved his life. That meant a lot. And he would do everything in his power to return the favor.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter was a little shorter than I wanted it to be so this one's a little longer. Hope you enjoy.

Lucus glanced at the clock. It proudly proclaimed the time to be well after midnight. Sighing, Lucus slid out of bed and padded across the floor of his house. He opened the door, the sudden noise making Shane jump from where he had been sitting on the porch and whirl around to face Lucus.

Lucus gave Shane a raised brow, not quite sure the guard dog routine was really necessary. "Gonna sit out here all night or come in?"

Shane turned back around to look out over the fields. "You should run. While you still have the chance. Why haven't you run?"

Lucus padded out onto the porch, leaning his forearms on the railing and looking out over everything he had built over the past year. New plants were just beginning to push up through the earth. The chicken coop residents had only just begun to venture out again, filling the early morning with their chatter. The place felt more like home than anywhere he had ever cared to rest.

"Where would I go? I'll run into the same problem in any city I try to hide in. I suppose I could find another little town, but I wouldn't have the claim to anything like I did here. Besides, I came looking for an escape and instead found a home. I can't leave."

Shane growled bitterly. "You won't leave. There's a difference."

Lucus couldn't help the smile that tugged at his mouth. "I'm done running." He didn't meet the frantic look Shane turned up at him, instead keeping his gaze focused out in the darkness.

"What about your magic?! Can you fight them off? Make them forget?"

"Yeah. Because my powers of observation are simply terrifying."

The sarcasm did absolutely nothing to soothe Shane and a flash of temper slipped out. "Then what's your grand idea?! Sit here and let them take you?!"

Lucus pushed off the porch railing and moved around to sit next to Shane. He whined a little when Shane slid away in a fit of petulance. "Don't be like that. You know I can't fight. You couldn't fight either. Because they aren't just an angry mob coming to take me away and try me for espionage. They're our friends. Family members."

Shane sighed, all the fight going out of him to leave him deflated. Defeated. "What then?"

Lucus shrugged, leaning his shoulder against Shane's and feeling some relief when he didn't pull away. "I suppose we could always make this a night to remember. And when the morning comes, we'll deal with everything side by side." Lucus hesitated before adding, "...at least, we will if you still want to be next to me."

Lucus grunted as he was abruptly thumped in the chest and shoved backwards. Shane climbed over his legs, pinning him to the porch with a stern look. "I'll always be right here next to you." Lucus smiled, reaching up to brush at the tears that were escaping Shane's eyes.

"Thank you."

Shane leaned down and pressed his lips to Lucus's. It started out soft and sweet, but soon became desperate. Lucus slid his fingers beneath Shane's ever-present hoodie, running his hands between the layers of fabric against Shane's back. Shane grunted and broke their kiss to fight his way out of his hoodie.

Lucus gently helped, biting back on the mirth that was fighting the arousal in the pit of his stomach. "I was only being half serious when I suggested-"

"Shut up and get naked."

Lucus couldn't help the laugh that burst out. But he eagerly helped get them both undressed and back into the house. He supposed he had offended Shane a bit when he got slammed back against a wall, his lips beginning to swell from excessive biting and his tongue dueling for the occupation of his own mouth. Shane tugged harshly at his belt and then shifted his weight to drag Lucus back off the wall.

Lucus couldn't really complain. It had been his suggestion after all, and he had been wanting Shane ever since that morning he had stripped him down and tossed him in the shower. His attention came back to the present as he stumbled with his ankles trapped in his pants and only barely managed to control his fall to hit the bed instead of the floor. 

He panted, catching his breath as Shane suddenly stopped. He wondered what was going through Shane's head as he felt the other man's gaze burning across his body. He licked his lips and started to pull his arms down from where they had fallen above his head, about to cover himself in self-consciousness.

He jumped a little when Shane's hand trapped his wrists above his head. Shane's other hand gently scraped through his hair. Then gentle fingers traced the scar that bisected his brow and cheekbone. Shane leaned down to lightly kiss his way across the same scar. 

Shane laid gentle kisses against the split in his lip where Kent had punched him. Then down to the thin scars that were all that was left from when he had been clawed by a shadowbrute. Lucus shivered as Shane mouthed across his chest, kissing every hurt he had ever acquired.

"Shane." Lucus rasped, but it didn't appear Shane was listening. "Shane, please."

Shane breathed against the bruises that were developing over his lower ribs where he had collided with the bar. "Please what?"

"Oh Goddess, Shane please let me-" Lucus made a strangled sound and wiggled, not quite sure what he wanted. He just knew the slow body worship was torture as Shane took his sweet time getting anywhere near his sex. The rough foreplay had gotten him more than ready, and his cock jutted up proudly between his straining thighs as it leaked.

"Let you what?"

Lucus threw his head back and gaped as Shane slid his thumb up the entire underside of his cock. The stimulation was almost enough. "Please Shane. Get inside me before I explode."

Shane bit his lip, eyes darkening with lust. But there was some concern there too. "You're dry. I don't want to hurt you."

Lucus wiggled again, tugging his wrists. It was a request for freedom, though they both knew Lucus could have wrenched free whenever he wanted. Still, Shane let go of Lucus's wrists and watched as Lucus slid off the bed quick as water off leaves. Shane never got the chance to do much repositioning before Lucus swallowed down his erection.  
Lucus listened to the grunts and moans of pleasure as he exuberantly bobbed against Shane. In no time at all, Shane took a hold on Lucus's hair and pulled. "Stop. If you want me inside you stop." Lucus pulled away and scrambled back up onto the bed, parting his legs. Shane gasped and fumbled, tugging Lucus close and trembling as he got himself lined up. He glanced up to meet Lucus's eyes before sliding in, looking for one last protest. Not that there were any.

Lucus hooked his legs around Shane's hips and pulled. They both moaned as Shane went in deep, bottoming out in one long slide. Lucus trembled as Shane took a moment to find a rhythm, bodies already straining against each other. And when Shane hit his prostate three times in rapid succession, he came undone. Lucus came across his stomach and chest in long spurts. He shuddered as he felt Shane coming right behind, filling him up with hot seed.

With a long sigh, Shane slid out and collapsed across the bed. Lucus lay in the afterglow for a long moment before forcing himself up and to the bathroom to clean up a bit. He could take a shower in the morning.

Or, later that morning.

For right now, he just wanted to crawl back into bed with Shane. He smiled fondly when he realized Shane was already fast asleep. He arranged Shane a bit so he could get them both on the bed with the covers pulled up, then closed his eyes and drifted.


	18. Chapter 18

Shane jerked awake, taking in his surroundings. It was already late morning and he was alone in Lucus's bed. But Lucus wasn't far. Shane could hear him in the kitchen. Shane slipped out of bed, finding his clothes folded neatly and placed at the foot of the bed. He quickly got dressed and went to find Lucus.

Lucus looked up and grinned when Shane moved into the kitchen. "Morning." He scraped some eggs onto a plate already piled with pancakes and hashbrowns. "Have a seat. Hope you're hungry."

Shane slid into a seat at the table and Lucus settled a plate of breakfast in front of him before sitting down with his own. Shane couldn't help but think this was all terribly domestic. How he wouldn't at all be sorry if they could do this every morning for the rest of his life. How today would dictate if that was even possible.

It was all so bittersweet Shane had trouble finding his appetite.

"Shouldn't you be in town?"

Lucus shrugged, adding syrup to his pancakes. "I figure they'll find me if they need me. Until then, business as usual." There was a long pause where Lucus cut out a bite of pancake and put it in his mouth. After chewing and swallowing, he quietly spoke. "Shane. If the worst should happen-"

"Then you'll run."

Lucus gave a wane smile and continued his request. "If I can't be here anymore, will you look after things here? Make sure my critters don't starve? I don't think you'd be half bad at it and it's a better option than Joja."

Shane swallowed down the lump in his throat and nodded. "Yeah."

Lucus smiled a little wider. "Thank you. And, if you're interested, you could make sure my critters don't starve even if I am still around."

Butterflies took flight in Shane's stomach, the thought of living with Lucus and sharing his life ever so warm and inviting. "Let's just get through today first."

Lucus nodded and turned his attention to eating his breakfast. Shane made an attempt, but he could only get through half of it. Lucus didn't seem to mind. Just motioned Shane along to follow him around the farm as he completed various chores. The chicken coop residents had already been taken care of, and the sprinkler system had watered all the plants, but there were other things to do.

Lucus showed Shane where there were a couple mayonnaise makers and loaded them up. He collected up some syrup and pine resin from a couple taps driven into the few trees he had left out in the field. Then it was out into the fields to do a little weeding. At noon they broke for lunch. Shane was still too worried to eat much.

The sun was falling towards the horizon by the time a voice called across the fields. "Lucus! Shane!"

Lucus raised his head from the strawberry plants, meeting Shane's desperate gaze briefly before looking towards the farmhouse where Marnie stood. Lucus stood, moving steadily and confidently through his sprouting crops. Shane quickly followed, slipping his fingers into Lucus's as they went. Lucus might be good at hiding any nerves he was feeling, but Shane needed to show him some support anyways.

Marnie glanced down at their clasped hands and open closeness, but she made no comment as she turned to lead the way.

Lucus squared his shoulders and tightened his grip on Shane as they followed along. It was time to face whatever the townsfolk had to throw at him. "You know," Lucus said quietly as they walked. "Whatever the verdict is, this has been the best year of my life."

Shane forced a smile at the optimism.

There was a little surprise as Marnie led them to the community center, but Shane supposed it was really the only place that would hold, essentially, a town meeting. The place had been all fixed up. And it seemed the whole town was there. Lewis stood in the middle with Kent. Marnie moved over to join Caroline, Jodi and Robin, with Vincent and Jas in the center of the maternal huddle. Evelyn and George had made it. Sam, Sebastion and Abigail.

"Quiet please. Can I have every ones attention? Every one quiet please." Lewis called for order and Shane could feel the tension as Lucus braced for the worst.


	19. Chapter 19

Shane stood right behind Lucus, their fingers still interlaced, ready to jump to Lucus's defense if the need arose. Every face he looked at seemed somber and wary. He couldn't get a good read from anybody on whether or not this would turn out well for Lucus.

The Mayor called for quiet and soon got it. The townsfolk were just as curious to hear what would happen to Lucus as Shane was. And he was sure Lucus was anxious, even if he wasn't showing it. But Lewis was speaking so Shane paid attention.

"We have heard from everyone who wishes to speak. The only ones we haven't heard from have been Shane and Lucus. But I think I know where Shane stands."

Shane lifted his chin proudly as several glances came his way. He wasn't afraid or ashamed. Lucus was the best thing to have happened to him in a long time.  
Lewis redirected every ones attention again with his next question. "Lucus? Do you have anything to say?"

"There isn't much to say. I came here to hide. To escape from my past and the side of my family that enjoyed war. I won't go back to the Empire. I can't. All I can do is ask for your understanding and throw myself on your mercy."

"Mercy." Kent scoffed, stepping forward with hate filled eyes and anger twisting his mouth into a sneer. "The Dark Elves know nothing of mercy. As one of their prisoners I learned that well."

Lucus bowed his head. "I'm sorry for your suffering. I truly am."

Kent scowled. "I only have one question. Where were you the day General Corson died?"

Shane's brow furrowed in confusion, and the quiet murmur that went through the crowd told him he wasn't the only one who didn't understand the question. But he decided that was probably the point as Lucus answered without hesitation.

"I was standing behind him, holding the knife in his back."

Surprise and questions rippled through the people assembled. Shane only clung tighter to Lucus's fingers. Unbelievably, Kent had relaxed. The old soldier raised his voice and began to explain.

"General Corson was a heartless, cruel, evil man. He hated humans with a passion and believed that when they won the war in Gotoro, they would move on the Ferngill Republic and subjugate every man, woman and child. With him at the head of the Empire's armies, we would have been destined for slavery and misery."

"Possibly extinction." Lucus added grimly.

Kent nodded. "I was rather surprised to hear he had allowed his daughter to keep the half-breed son she had born. The boy's sire, a human, met with an accident and died."

"It was no accident." The vehemence with which Lucus spat those words made a couple people take a step back. His grip tightened on Shane's hand and Shane squeezed back comfortingly.

"Corson was making a tour of some of his military's camps. I don't know about the other camps, but when he came to the one where I and the last three men in my squad were being held, he demanded the execution of all prisoners. I was about to watch my friends die when one of Corson's lieutenants stabbed him in the back. In the chaos, almost all the prisoners escaped. The rest caught up soon after, saying they had been released."

Kent went quiet for a moment, reigning in his emotions. "I've heard nothing but good things about you from everyone here. I don't think I would have believed any of it if I hadn't seen your strength of character for myself. You saved my life, and the lives of every human in that camp. I'm sorry for punching you last night. I didn't recognize you at first."

Lucus inclined his head in recognition of the apology. "It's alright."

Mayor Lewis broke the tension with a boistrous change of subject. "Well, that settles that! Who knew someone from the Gotoro Empire could bring us all together. Lucus, you've restored the community center and we all appreciate it. This place has never looked better."

A new voice suddenly broke in, grumbling and griping. "What the hell's going on? Where are all my customers?!"

Shane turned around to find Morris standing in the doorway, looking around at everyone gathered in the center. Morris narrowed his eyes, growling when he spotted Shane.  
"What the hell are you doing here?"

Shane sneered back. "What do you care? I don't answer to you anymore."

Lucus gently pulled Shane back, a hand on his back soothing him. Shane didn't mind. Pierre was already making his way through the crowd with a gleeful smile on his face.  
"How does it feel Morris? Finding a taste of your own medicine a little too bitter for your liking?"

Morris shrugged off his irritation, putting on a show of being smug. "Who cares?! I'll just run a huge sale and all my customers will come crawling back. You'll see. Your little shop is finished!"

Shane felt Lucus prop his chin on his shoulder and loop an arm around his waist. He mumbled under his breath. "Think we should stop them?"

Lucus tightened his hold a little and Shane could hear some amusement when he answered. "Only if someone draws blood. Until then, ten gold on Pierre."

Shane chuckled, not at all upset about watching his old boss get his ass handed to him. In the end, Pierre surprised everyone with his killer upper-cut. Shane was glad he hadn't taken Lucus's bet. And rather than stick around for the party Lewis wanted to put together last minute for the reopening of the community center, Lucus and Shane decided to slip out early.

"Lucus?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you mean what you said this morning? About living together?"

"I did. Are you interested?"

"I am."

 

One year later, Lucus and Shane were living quite happily together. Lucus did most of the farm work but Shane helped out where he could. He had developed a blue chicken that had been welcomed ino the coop too. There were still days where Shane felt low, and days when Lucus receded into himself as he pushed every one away, but they never doubted that they had support from the other.

One such stormy day where Lucus left with barely a glance Shane's way, Shane came across a letter as he was cleaning up the kitchen. It was addressed to Lucus in a flowing script that made Shane believe it was from Lucus's mother.

Curiosity won out over the hint of guilt for snooping in Lucus's things and he opened up the letter. His eyes skimmed the contents.

Dear Lucus.  
I realize you probably won't read this just as I doubt you've read any of the others, but I shall continue to write you anyways. While I am unhappy with the way things turned out between you, your father, and your grandfather, I must admit your grandfather's regin had to end. As the fate of the Empire has, essentially, fallen to me, you will be happy to know that the war will be ending by the end of the season. I would have prefered to have you by my side, but I have to assume you are happy where you are if you've stayed for two years. I hope your life continues to be happy, my son. I love you, more than I could ever say.  
May the Goddess defend you. Mother.

Shane jumped when felt eyes on the back of his head and spun around. Lucus stood in the doorway, soaked and watching with an unreadable expression.

"I was just... I didn't mean to invade your privacy but-"

"Is she doing well?"

Shane swallowed at the gruff tone. "She says the war is ending soon."

Lucus nodded as he padded into the house. "I'm still not inviting her to the wedding."

Shane blinked in surprise, trying to remember all the gossip around town he had heard. News like that wouldn't stay private for long. He was drawing a blank however. "Who's getting married?"

"You and me hopefully." Lucus lifted a hand to show Shane the contents. A silver chain tangled around Lucus's fingers with a pendant sitting heavy in his palm. The pendant was a blue the color of the ocean in summer, and shaped like a conical shell.

"The Mermaid Pendant," Shane breathed in awe. He hesitated before reaching for it, his old insecurities rushing into his mind. He had assumed he would never be given one and there hadn't been anyone he had considered giving one to. And if this was some cruel joke-

Shane looked up at Lucus, shifting a little nervously. No, Lucus wouldn't do that. And there was no other person Shane could think of that he would rather spend his life with. He reached out, lacing his fingers with Lucus's to trap the pendant between their palms.

"I accept."


End file.
